Around the Bend
by Leelan Oleander
Summary: Sequel to Encore. Catch up with the gang just a few months after Encore left off-everyone is moving into new places, and slowly moving on with their lives. Will they be prepared to deal with what lies just around the bend?
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome back to the often heartbreaking, constantly gassy world of the _Encore_ gang.**

**I won't keep you...I just REALLY need to thank Minnakoda and Katmom AGAIN for getting me through this process again. They are such a huge part of these stories and helping me keep what little bit of sanity I have left intact. I heart you guys. Really, I do.**

**This first chapter helps us get caught up with what's been going on. You'll get to hear from all six of the gang. I hope you enjoy.**

**Oh, and SM owns Twilight, but I literally picked up Charlie Bewley (Demetri) and I bet she hasn't done that! **

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_**Bella**_

"Emmett! Be careful with that!"

"Jasper, watch out!"

"Goddamn it, Edward, that's my foot!"

"Where does this box go?"

"This box is in the wrong house!"

"I can't lift it, I'm pregnant."

"Bella, go lie down, you're all slanty."

I slammed my fist down on the counter and snorted loudly. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning to stare at me all slack-jawed, like a bunch of pervs at a porn convention, except for my girls, who waved as they made a hasty retreat out the kitchen door. I didn't blame them; I had had enough and I was going to blow. It's bad enough that my life has been overrun by chaos for the past week, but when Emmett points out the obvious, effectively breaking rule number one, my patience and my mind snapped.

"Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen, can you please read rule number one on the whiteboard hanging in the kitchen; and please do so loud enough that the entire class can hear you."

He sighed heavily. "Don't assume that Bella doesn't know that she's tired."

"Thank you. I am aware that I'm tired, and as soon as I can make sense of the mess you're making in my house, I will go lie down."

The room began to spin and I know immediately that I am done for. "Okay, scrap that. I'm going to lie down for a while and I'm begging you guys to please leave the house in somewhat good condition. I'm sorry I'm not much help, but that's the way it goes with Brain-Injured Bella."

Edward walks over to kiss my forehead. "I'll make sure that everything is done right, love. Please go get some rest because I plan on tiring you out again tonight."

Leaning into him, I hummed happily. "I'm going to like having you around 24/7, Edward. I intend on holding you to your promise."

He walked me to _our_ room and left me at the door with a searing kiss and a quick squeeze to one ass cheek. "I'll see you soon. I love you."

"Mm, I love you too."

I gratefully crawled into our bed before my face had a chance to meet the floor for some serious hardwood Frenching. I listened to the hubbub outside my door as I snuggled under the light duvet. Today is moving day. We have to move three different households around. Edward is moving in with me, Alice and Jasper are moving into Edward and Emmett's old house, and Emmett and Rose are moving into the beautiful four bedroom home they purchased with Carlisle and Esme's help. We have spent the better part of the week organizing things, packing and labelling boxes, and moving the small stuff by the car- and Jeep-load. Emmett rented a large cube truck to move things from house to house and we only have it for the day, so all of the big stuff needed to be taken care of today.

We are all going to be living within a ten-minute drive of one another, which is great. Alice and Jasper are the closest to us, and I can't wait to go for walks with Alice and the baby once it arrives. Em and Rose's home is in a newer subdivision which is full of kids and pets and parks.

When had we all grown up? When had everyone I know gone crazy and gotten engaged or pregnant? Weekend gatherings were now pretty much dry and tame, except for Rose and Emmett, who still enjoyed a beer every now and then.

So much has changed since Edward and Emmett reappeared in my life in August. Now late April, my life is unrecognizable compared to the way I was living this time last year. I was working in a porn store, living with my best friends, and going to school. I got up on the good days and went about my business, and on the bad days, I stayed in bed and prayed that my body would work properly again the following morning or that I'd even be emotionally stable enough to greet the world. Yet I still managed to forge ahead and create a life for myself.

Besides drowning under the weight of losing my parents and baby girl in a car accident five years prior, I still had to deal with my physical limitations that arose as a result of the same accident that took their lives. Living with a head injury means that nothing can be set in stone. I can't tell you from day to day whether I will be able to walk when I get out of bed, remember what I had done the day before, or get through the day without a seizure. I can go months without a sign that anything is the least bit wrong, and then BAM! I could have a seizure. I can no longer hold a driver's license, and my family and friends are on constant high alert to make sure that I don't get overtired or overdo it and bring on a spell.

I can understand their concern, really I can, but I am, by nature, a very independent person—hell, I ran a porn store, completed my undergrad in three years, and did it with only Alice and Rose hovering in the shadows. Having a gazillion people following me around and watching me like a hawk is degrading and unsettling, but it is also very sweet. Deep down I know it's because they love me, but it still drives me up the fucking wall, across the ceiling, and down the other side...

I can't help but smile when I think about the amazing support system I have in my life. They are my friends and my family, and more importantly, my home. I love my life. I miss my family every day, but it's so much easier to deal with now that Edward is back in my life. We had both hidden away from the reality that we had lost our baby. Emma was two and a half when she was killed, and learning to come to terms with it was probably harder and more painful than the year of recovery I had to endure after the accident. Edward couldn't deal with everything and he ran off to Alaska to live with his cousins in Denial, er, Denali. I saw neither hide nor hair of him for five years and I really didn't think I could ever forgive him for leaving me to deal with this alone.

But I did.

We are both in a better place now, having dealt with some of the bigger issues of grieving, and rebuilding our relationship. The grieving parents group has been a godsend, and we're in therapy now; both individually and as a couple. I think that having all the support that we do have helped us get through the fifth anniversary of the accident that shattered our lives. Other years I chose to hide away from the world and wallow in my sorrow on April 15th. This year, Edward and I chose to drive to Forks to spend the day at the cemetery and celebrate them and the time we had been blessed with, not mourning the things that could have been. Our sorrow wouldn't bring them back, and it only served to drag us down instead of moving forward, which we both understood was okay now. Survivor's guilt be damned, it was okay that I lived, and I finally wanted to LIVE without regret.

A muffled _fuck_ came from the living room and I hoped that nothing of any importance had been destroyed as I finally drifted off to sleep.

_**Edward**_

I'm glad that it was Emmett who commented on how tired Bella was looking. Let him take the lumps for it, because it was finally someone else's turn to fry for it. Her stubbornness is frustrating, and it's still hard for us to let her figure things out on her own because it quite often leads to her fainting or having a mild seizure. She is definitely doing better in the seizure department since her last big setback after the Halloween fiasco, but just the same, I've seen her pass out one time too many, and it still scares the shit out of me.

I was standing beside my mom watching her while she directed Emmett and Jasper as they moved the big furniture items from the bedroom, which would now become our guest room. We are converting the former guest room into my studio and Bella's writing space. Mom smiled up at me. "How's our girl, sweetie?"

"Oh, she's tired herself out again and is being stubborn. I hope she sleeps for a couple of hours; she's run herself ragged this week trying to get things sorted out with Alice's move. I'm glad that Em and Rose did stuff on the sly because I don't think she could have handled dealing with that."

Mom locked her arm with mine, giving me a squeeze. "Sweetie, as hard as it is, you need to try to let her stand on her own two feet. I know that none of us want to see anything happen to her, but she needs to learn, and she won't learn if we mollycoddle her."

"I worry, Mom. Dr. King wasn't feeling very optimistic about her rebounding quickly, if at all, from a major seizure. Her memory hasn't been very good since the last series of small ones, and I'm scared I'm going to lose her. What if she has one and doesn't come back?"

"She'll always come back in some form or another, sweetie. Bella's tough. Emmett," Mom barked, breaking off from our conversation, "please don't balance that vase on your head, it's going to..."

As if in slow motion, we all stood there and watched as the vase dropped from the top of my brother's head and crashed onto the floor.

"Fuck!"

"Language, Emmett!" Mom scolded.

"But, Ma!"

"But Ma nothing. You clean up that mess, and we'll have to go out and replace it...and it's coming out of your pocket. What did I tell you about balancing breakable objects on your head?"

For the second time in the past half hour, I watched as my brother recited yet another rule that he had broken. "Balancing breakable objects on my head will only result in something getting broken, battered, or bruised."

"And what just happened?" Mom asked.

God, I love my mom.

"Something got broken and I'm fixing to get bruised. Baby Girl's going to hurt me."

"Yes, sweetheart, and none of us are going to stop her. Don't forget to find out how much it cost, and you'd better pray that it didn't hold any emotional significance to her."

Jasper snorted. "Alice and I picked it up at a yard sale as a joke. We paid a quarter for it, so no worries, Big Guy."

"Just the same, please be careful, Emmett. You can go destroy your own belongings when we're done here. Now, let's get this stuff outside and into the truck," Mom nudged my brother toward the bedroom.

"I'm going to check on Bella, and then we can go. Alice and Rose will be wondering where we are."

Emmett groaned. "Edward, you're just trying to get out of heavy lifting," he lamented before ripping off a very loud and potentially killer fart. "That's for you, bro!"

"Oh god! Emmett, enough!" Mom choked on the toxic waste. "Leave your brother alone. Edward, hurry up so we can get this done."

Jasper leaned in, kissing her on the cheek. "Thanks, Ma Cullen. It's about time someone said something."

"Traitor," Em hissed, as he passed by us, carrying a bookcase.

We managed to get everything into the truck and dropped off at my old place, then picked up my piano and a couple of other large items to bring back to mine and Bella's place, as well as a few of Emmett's larger items, which are to be dropped off at his new place. Thankfully, it had been determined that the bulk of our furniture will remain for Alice and Jasper's use since Bella owns everything we need, and Em and Rose want to buy new pieces for their home. Rose calls it their _clean slate_. Emmett calls it a pain in his credit card.

I'm happy for my brother and his fresh start. I hope they survive one another.

Alice and Jasper will no doubt excel at parenting—I have no worries where they are concerned.

Bella and I will make it; I just hope that we don't strangle each other along the way. I am discovering very quickly that every day brings a new challenge and although we'll likely get bruised along the way, we'll make it in the end.

_**Emmett**_

"Put it over there, Em."

Fine.

"Not there—THERE."

What the fuck?

"Emmett Cullen, do I have to do it myself?"

I put down the chair I was holding so I could rub my face. "Rosie, sweetie..."

Hands are on her hips. Shit. This isn't going be good. "Don't use that tone with me, mister."

Oh my God, I'm going to kill her before we get to spend our first night under our new roof. I grumbled quietly as I sat down on the chair and it wasn't long before she's wrapping her arms around me.

"I'm sorry, baby. I know I'm being an unbearable bitch; I'm just tired and anxious to get settled in. You can put the chair wherever you want. If I don't like it, I'll move it later. Why don't we go upstairs and lie down for a bit? I can give you a massage."

There's no need for her to say the _M_ word twice. I jumped up, grabbed her, and threw her over my shoulder as I sprinted toward the stairs up to the bedroom. Setting her down gently on the bed, I crawled over her to plant a kiss on her beautiful lips. "Mm, Rosie, have I told you today that I love you?"

Her eyes scrunched closed in mock concentration before she blessed me with the sight of her beautiful blue irises and a sweet smile.

"I don't think so."

Like magnets, we are pulled closer together and her intoxicating smell makes me drunk. I ran my nose along her jaw toward her perfect ears. "I love you, my perfectly imperfect Rose," I breathed into her ear. I watched as she shivered, and goose bumps began dotting her pale skin. Her eyes rolled back slightly as she sighed. "How much do you love me, Emmett?"

I smiled against her mouth before taking her bottom lip gently between my teeth. Her hands moved under my shirt to my back and I could feel her nails scratching down my skin as her legs parted so I could better rest between them.

"I love you enough to forget the massage and try to get into your pants, baby."

"Thank God," she groaned, grinding her hips against me. My cock is rock hard and in dire need of some serious Rosie time. With the chaos of moving, we've been too busy and too tired to do any proper smexin' and this was well overdue.

"Off," I muttered as I tugged on her tank top with my teeth.

My girl sat up, pushing me back and motioning for me to do the same. We stripped off together until we were both good and naked.

"Fuck, you're hot, Rosie." I kissed my way down to her tits, where I swear to God her nipples are the third sweetest tasting part of her body; the first is below the equator, and the second is her lips. Her pink nipples were standing at attention, just begging me to suck on them. Taking the right one between my teeth, I tugged gently on it until she let out a loud groan.

One of her hands clasped mine, leading it down to the Promised Land. She rubbed our joined hands over her mound, guiding it between her lips so we were stroking her clit in tandem until she was panting like a dog on a hot summer's day.

"Shit, Em, roll over," she grunted as she nudges me onto my back.

Oh yeah, my girl was gonna ride me 'til I yelled yeehaw. How I ever got so lucky to find her, I don't know, but I'm thanking the sweet baby Jebus every day that she's mine.

_**Rosalie**_

I own his ass.

Looking down at my man, I surveyed the planes of his rock hard body and praised whichever god saw fit to give this beautiful creature to me.

"Rosie?"

Oh yeah, I was gonna ride him-HARD. I smiled demurely at him before pinching his nipples roughly. When he bucked up and let out a hiss, I reached back to find what I was looking for and arranged myself over his Richard. Yes, I said Richard instead of dick because there's nothing abbreviated about my man.

"Oh GOD, that feels good, baby," he grunted as our pelvises meet. I had to agree...it does feel good. I've been with my fair share of men, but no man has EVER fit me as perfectly as my Emmett does.

Rising up, I slide him almost to the point of popping out, being sure to pay close attention to how it feels as the ridged edge of his cock rubs against the landscape of my Promised Land until I get an idea of where I want him to hit hardest. Once I'm satisfied that I've got everything mapped out, I slammed myself back down on him, grunting.

"Baby, I need..." he groaned as his hands gripped my hips. He lifted me up, then thrust up to meet me as he brought me back down.

The sound of our flesh slapping as we fucked was such a turn on that I knew I wouldn't last long. I grabbed at my breasts, staring down at him through heavy eyelids knowing full well that he thinks this shit is hot. I was paying so much attention to turning him on that I didn't even realize what was happening until Emmett flipped us over, pulled out, and rolled me onto my stomach.

"Rosie, babe, as much as I LOVE watching you and your magnificent tits bouncing on my cock, I need..."

He spread my legs and impaled me roughly.

"OH YEAH!" I screamed. I love it when he's rough because he never gets too rough...it's always just right.

"You like it when I pound you from behind, don't you?" he grunted as he pounded away, effectively hitting my g-spot on every second or third thrust.

"Mm..." I moaned. I was too overwhelmed to respond properly, but he knew the answer to his question and he knows that this is my second favourite position because I am guaranteed an orgasm every time... "Oh God!" There it is.

"That's my girl," he said, slapping my ass. "Do you want another?"

_Fifteen! I want fifteen_, I wanted to scream out, but instead all I could do is grunt and nod.

"What's that?" he asked again.

My body was still coming down from the first orgasm when he shifted the position of my hips just a little higher and I was blindsided by another.

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed as my body tensed, then relaxed.

Emmett could have been doing anything to me at that point and I likely wouldn't even notice—I was totally blissed out, my bones had melted, and I was oblivious to the world beyond the intense euphoria rolling through my body until he yells.

"HOLD ON, BABY, I'm cumming!"

I woke up several hours later and smiled. I was wrapped safely in the arms of the man I was going to be marrying, the man who loves me as I am, and would never expect me to change...

...even when I'm being a bitch.

Life is good.

_**Jasper**_

"Sweetheart?"

No response.

"Alice, darlin'?"

A grunt. Well, that's progress.

"Baby?" I nudged her gently.

"What?" she grumbled, shifting her body so it covered mine.

"I need to get up, so you need to move over a little."

My pregnant pixie doll groaned as I moved her off me gently. "Here's your belly pillow; I'll be back in a bit. I love you."

She swatted at me as I tried to place a kiss on her cheek. "Mm...sleep."

I watch as she settled around her belly pillow so she was spooning it, and hear her sigh as she slipped back into slumber before I made my way to the bathroom. Her belly isn't huge, but she finds she sleeps better if she is draped over me, or the pillow.

Getting to the bathroom proved to be more of a hassle than I initially thought it would be because I manage to trip over at least three boxes, likely breaking most of my toes, and emitting about a dozen expletives fit to come out of Emmett's mouth.

Normally the boxes wouldn't be an issue because they wouldn't be here, but Alice, being about six months pregnant, doesn't have the stamina she once had, nor the attention span to get much accomplished. The only time she has an excess of energy or finds an attention span is when sex is involved; then, and only then, is my girl supercharged.

So, if my sweet girl wasn't pregnant, I daresay that she'd have had this place unpacked and organized hours ago. Instead, she begged me to go to bed, promising that we could work on it in the morning. When I offered to work away at it tonight while she slept, she ordered me not to touch a thing, and that she would just end up rearranging things anyway. Who am I to argue with her? I'll do what she wants to keep the peace and pregnancy hormones at an even level.

After relieving myself, I picked my way through the boxes toward the living room and sat on the couch. Running my hands along the plush fabric, it's hard not to smile. There would have been no way that Alice and I could have afforded such nice furniture on our own, and although it annoyed the hell out of me to accept it, I can't thank the Cullens enough for all they've done for us.

Alice and I are now living in Edward and Emmett's old house with a lot of their _old_ furniture, which I might add, is nicer and newer than anything I've ever owned before. Carlisle and Esme are charging us minimal rent until we get sorted out with the baby and work and school. At first, I didn't want to agree to it, but Rosie was right when she said that the Cullens were helping because they care about us, which is more than I can say for our parents. Mama Hale is furious that Rosie's engaged, and, well, we haven't told her about the baby yet.

Emmett did some sweet-talking, finding me a job at his school as a teaching assistant and substitute teacher. Luckily for me my professors have been more than understanding and have been counting my work toward my degree and I'll be graduating in May with the prospect of a full time job at Em's school in the fall when one of the teachers retires. I can't thank him enough—hell, all of them, for what they've done. It's been humbling and my stubborn pride has taken a huge hit, but I'm feeling more optimistic about things now; I can wake up and not have to worry about much at all.

Except for Alice's cravings.

_**Alice**_

Tacos.

"Jasper?"

He grumbled sleepily beside me. "What, darlin'?"

"Baby needs tacos."

The bed shifted slightly as he rolled to take a look at the clock. "Darlin, it's four in the morning."

"Please? The baby's hungry."

"The baby can't wait a couple more hours?"

I shook my head as I rubbed my belly. "No."

The bed shifted again. "Alright, darlin', I'll see if Taco Bell is open somewhere."

I hugged him to me. "I love you. So does Bump."

He grinned at me, gave me a sleepy lopsided grin, and my heart swelled. Leaning over, he planted a kiss on my belly, then on my awaiting lips. "Love you, Bump, love you, Ali. Be back soon."

Jasper pulled on some pants and a t-shirt before heading out. It's not the first time he's gotten up and picked up food for me, and although I felt like a bitch for making him do it, he has never complained.

My man is a great man, and I can't wait to watch him be a great daddy.

I felt fluttering in my belly and smiled. "Did you hear Daddy talking to you, my little bump? You have a good daddy and I can't wait for you guys to meet.

"Things are going to be okay, Baby Bump, everything is falling into place now, and there are so many people who love you already and you're not even here yet.

"I'm going to get everything sorted out before you come so I can be the best mommy possible. I'm going to finish school, take Lamaze classes and breastfeeding classes, and yoga classes, and baby classes and I'm going to try really hard to be great for you. I'll change your poopy diapers the right way so you don't get rashes, and I'm going to feed you only organic food so your belly doesn't hurt and I'm going...

"...ooh, dark chocolate M&Ms. I wonder if your daddy can pick some up on his way back."

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**So, there you go...I hope you enjoyed getting caught up.**

**You may wish to have tissues on hand for the next chapter. Yeah, yeah, I know, already...sorry.**

**IMPORTANT NEWS!**

**_ENCORE_ was nominated for BEST TEAR JERKER in the Hidden Star Awards. Voting began today (Sept 10) and ends on Tuesday (Sept 14). Please go vote if you're so inclined. Some other stories of note/nominations are my sweet Minnakoda, who is up for BEST ONE-SHOT, and my friend KitsuShel, who is up for BEST CANON.**

**Vote here: http : / thehiddenstarawards (DOT) blogspot (DOT) com / p / voting (DOT) html  
****Don't forget to take out the spaces and the DOTs to replace them with the real thing.**

**I am going to try to keep a regular schedule of posting, but where things are still in the early stages, there might be longer wait times. I'm sorry about that.**

**Reviews will get sneak peeks. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, you're back for more? YAY! That's fantastic!**

**I won't normally update on Wednesdays, it's just that I'm not around tomorrow and I didn't want to make you guys wait until Friday since so many of you were, er, a little annoyed with the teaser I sent out.**

**Minnakoda + Katmom = Magnifique!**

**Keep tissues on hand; you may need them. Just sayin'.**

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_**Emmett**_

Who the hell is calling at three in the goddamn morning?

I reached for my phone, which HAD been sitting on the bedside table until my big clumsy mitts knocked the fucker onto the floor. "Ah, hell," I grumbled, picking the damn thing up. "Hello? This better be good."

There was a moment of silence before I heard wailing in the background. "Hello? Who is this?"

I could hear a distinctly female voice clearing her throat on the other end of the line. "Is this Emmett Cullen?"

"Yeah? Who is this? What's going on?"

Rose rolled over beside me, grumbling sleepily. "Who the hell is it, Em? Tell them to call later."

I covered the phone and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll go in the other room, babe. You get back to sleep."

I put the phone back to my ear as I got up and walked out of the room. "Who the hell is this?"

"Is this the same Emmett Cullen who teaches second grade at Hawthorne Elementary School?"

"Yes? Why?"

"Do you have a student named Jaden MacDonald?"

My heart dropped. "Yes, God, what's happened? Is he okay? Is that him screaming in the background? Who is this calling?"

"My name is Zafrina Johnson and I'm a social worker at the Seattle Children's Hospital. Jaden was brought in to us tonight and he has been calling for you since he arrived. We can't seem to calm him down and sedating the boy right now is not prudent. Would you be opposed to...?"

Zafrina didn't get a chance to finish her question before I blurted out my answer. "I'm on my way! God, is he okay?" I asked as I ran back to the bedroom and started digging around for a pair of pants.

"There was an incident, Mr. Cullen, and it would be best if I explained things once you arrive. I will meet you at the triage area of the Emergency Room."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Rose sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Who the fuck was it, Em? What's going on? Where are you going?"

"That was the Seattle Children's Hospital and one of my kids was brought in, he keeps asking for me. They need me to go try to calm him down."

My heart was racing as fast as my mind and it was making it hard to know what to do next. I found pants, but what else did I need?

A shirt was thrown at me. "Here, put this on, baby. I'll grab you some socks."

Thank God for Rosie; at least one of us had our head on straight. "Thanks, babe." I sat on the edge of the bed and scrubbed my face with my hands.

My girl knelt in front of me, looking up with so much worry on her face. I pulled her to me and gave her a hug. "I wish I knew what was going on."

"Which one of the kids is it?" she asked quietly as she moved back to help me put on my socks.

"Jaden. Something's happened and it can't be good."

I watched as her face fell. "Isn't Jaden the little fella whose baby brother died?"

I nodded before giving her a kiss atop her head. "Yeah, it is. If I was the kind of teacher who played favourites, Jaden would be mine. Shit, I gotta go, baby. I'll call you as soon as I can, okay?"

Rose called out to me as I left the room. "I love you, Emmett. Drive safe."

"Love you too, babe, I'll be back as soon as I can."

A million and one things ran through my head as I drove through the near-deserted streets of Seattle toward the hospital. What had happened? Why was he calling for me? What could I possibly do?

As soon as I parked the car, I sprinted toward the ER doors, where a tall, elegant dark-skinned woman smiled at me. "Emmett Cullen?"

"Yes? Are you Zafrina?"

She nodded. "As standard protocol, I am required to ask you for identification."

I rummaged around in my wallet for every piece of ID that I own. "Of course, I would be shocked if you didn't."

Once satisfied that I was who I said I was, she led me down a corridor to a dimly-lit room where she motioned for me to take a seat. "I'd like to explain some things before I take you to see him. How well do you know Jaden? Have you met his family before?"

"Jaden's one of my star pupils, and a really sweet kid. I've met his mother once at a parent-teacher meeting, but have yet to meet his father. Why?"

Zafrina poured me a cup of coffee, but I waved it off. She passed me a bottle of water, which I gladly accepted, my mouth suddenly dry. "Has Jaden ever mentioned anything about his parents' relationship?"

As I thought back to all the conversations he and I had had about his family, I wondered if he had said something, ANYTHING along the way that should have alerted me to trouble. "Well, I know that his younger brother Casey died a couple of years ago and it put some strain on his parents; but that's to be expected. He mentioned that his mother cried a lot and his father was mostly angry. Why?"

"Did Jaden ever come to school with bruises? Did you ever have any reason to suspect that he might be abused?"

I felt the anger beginning to boil in me. There are two things that will push back sweet old Emmybear and invoke the Incredible Hulk in me, and those are violence against children and women. My fists clenched unconsciously as I felt my stomach begin to stir in a not-so good way. "No. Please, dear God, tell me he wasn't being abused." Raising my head, I looked at her, fearing her answer. "Please, Ms. Johnson, tell me he wasn't abused."

When the smile faded from her lips, I reached for the nearby garbage can so I wouldn't spew on the worn, industrial carpet on the floor. When the contents of my stomach were safely in the bottom of the metal can, she passed me a tissue and my bottle of water. "I'm sorry, Ms. Johnson."

A gentle hand rested on my shoulder. "Please call me Zafrina, Mr. Cullen."

"And you can call me Emmett if we're ditching the formalities. I'm really sorry about that. I adore the kids in my class and to think that someone could hurt such a tender-hearted kid like Jaden...it just makes me, well, sick. What happened? How did he end up here?"

"Jaden's parents are both...gone, Emmett. Murder-suicide. His father shot his mother; beat Jaden into unconsciousness, then turned the gun on himself. A neighbour heard the noise and found them. Jaden was unconscious when he was first brought in, but when he began to come to, he started screaming.

"Because he has a potential head injury and suspected internal injuries the doctors are afraid to sedate him too heavily until they know the full extent. It's imperative that they do further diagnostic tests and nothing anyone here has said or done will calm him down," she paused, looking down at her hands which were twitching a little in her lap. "He keeps screaming nonsense, but then he'll start screaming for you. It's heartbreaking, really. We are glad we were able to contact an official from the school to get your personal number, because the doctors are starting to really worry about him." The look in her eyes was enough to tell me the truth—that things were far from good, and I wasn't going to like what I was going to see.

I struggled to keep the Hulk at bay; it really wouldn't look good for me, a school teacher, to go apeshit in a room with a social worker while one of my kids was screaming nearby. Why were we sitting there if he was in such bad shape? What was she waiting for—Christmas? "Well, why the hell are we still sitting here? Take me to him, please."

Zafrina stood up. "Okay, let's go, but Emmett, can you promise one thing?"

"What's that?"

"Try not to be too alarmed or show any extreme reaction when you see him. We don't want to upset him any further."

I nodded as I stood up and allowed her to lead me down the corridor toward the screaming.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! DDDDAAAAAAAAAAAA! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

God, the sound of his screams was breaking my heart. I picked up my pace and ran into his room, where I was stopped dead in my tracks by what I saw. The sight of little Jaden on that hospital bed, in such a condition, fuck, it broke my heart and fired up my rage all over again.

"Oh my God, what kind of monster does this to a child?" I'm not sure if I used my inside voice or outside voice when this thought occurred to me.

"Emmett, hold it together, please," Zafrina begged quietly from behind me. I nodded to her slightly before moving toward the broken little boy on the bed.

"Jaden, buddy?"

"MR. CULLEN!" he screamed, turning toward me. "I can't see you. Where are you?" his bandaged little hand groped around for me. Both of his eyes were swollen shut. In fact, had I not recognized his voice, I likely wouldn't have known that it was him. He looked nothing at all like the little boy I saw in my class every day.

A nurse wheeled a stool over for me to sit on. I took his hand in mine and held it to my face, careful to keep it away from the tears that are now falling down my cheeks. "I'm right here, little buddy."

His body heaved and then relaxed. "For real?" he whispered.

"Yup, little buddy, Mr. Cullen is right here. I'm not leaving."

"Th...thank you. I was so scared. I...I don't know where I am. There are strangers here and it hurts," he said quietly again.

"You're at the hospital, and although you don't know them, these people aren't really strangers, they're doctors and nurses, and they're just trying to help you. Can you tell me where it hurts?"

His splinted left hand tapped on his chest. "Here."

"Your chest hurts?"

"No. My heart hurts, Mr. Cullen. I'm s...s...sad."

It was with those two stuttered words that this little boy officially broke me. When he fell apart and the gut wrenching sobs began, I was not far behind him. He kept reaching through the railing of the bed for me and I wanted nothing more than to give him a hug. I looked to the nurse, who nodded sadly before putting it down. In a flash, I was up on the bed beside him, and the poor little fella immediately curled up in my lap and sobbed until he fell asleep.

The medical personnel took this opportunity to assess him further, so I laid him back down on the bed and held his little hand while they examined him. They asked me questions as they did so. Does he have allergies? Have I noticed any bruises in the past? Do I know anything else that could help them?

I told them what I could, but I didn't know a lot about this little boy's life outside of school, other than the brief glimpses he gave when we talked in class or in his drawings.

Jaden took a few ragged breaths when the doctor prodded his head and belly, then let out a whimper. After he mumbled the word _chocolate _a couple of times, it dawned on me. "Did his stuffed moose make it here with him? I know that's his favourite stuffed animal and it would probably make him feel better if he had it. Is there some way someone can get it?"

Zafrina nodded and left the room, while I returned my focus to Jaden. He murmured _chocolate _again and the doctor shot a strange look at me.

"He keeps saying _chocolate_. Do you have any idea why?"

"Yeah, I do." I reached over to push some bloody hair away from his face. "His favourite stuffed animal is named _Chocolate_. It's a moose."

The doctor chuckled. "Now THAT'S a creative name." I watched the older man and saw when his brief smile faded as he continued to examine the child on the bed. "My God, this poor little guy took a nasty beating. We need to get him up to CT now for a scan. I also need to get orthopaedics in to take a look at him."

"Can you safely sedate him? What if he wakes up in the scanner and freaks out?"

He turned to me. "I really don't want to chance it. He took a heavy blow to the head, and we aren't really sure what drugs he can or cannot tolerate. They're accessing his medical files now, but just the same, I don't want to take any chances. If he's got any internal bleeding, we'll have to hope that he can tolerate some sort of sedation, because he'll need immediate surgery." He lifted the sheet off Jaden, palpitated his distended belly again, and then shook his head.

"Mr. Cullen, would you be able to stay with him? We can make arrangements for you to be nearby when we do the scan so if he does wake up, you can go to him. I really don't want him moving around too much."

I looked up at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good, because it seems that you're the only person he's got right now."

My heart stopped. "What do you mean by that? Where's the rest of his family?"

"From what we've been able to gather, the only living relatives he has are his grandparents who live in an assisted living home on the East Coast. Zafrina has been trying to locate someone else, but has been unsuccessful thus far."

"Would the grief counsellor who dealt with his family after the death of his brother know more?" I ask. Surely to God this little boy wasn't completely alone in the world now.

"We'll find out more in the morning. Right now, though, we need to get him upstairs. Nurse Smith? Can you please get some orderlies and put a call into CT immediately? Have them set up OR number three too, because I have a feeling this little guy's bleeding internally."

My stomach rolled again, but I managed to keep it down this time. "What kind of monster does this to his kid, and what kind of a shit-kicking does it take to do THIS?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I don't know, son, I really don't know. At least this monster won't do it to anyone else again."

The orderlies came in to help the nurses get the monitors and wires securely attached to the bed and asked me to follow them. Jaden whimpered a few times, so I spoke quietly to him, telling him that I was still there, that everything would be okay.

But would it? I felt like such a fucking liar. His father killed his mother, likely in front of the little guy, and then killed himself but not before he destroyed his child. How could anything be okay after this?

The technicians didn't want to let me in the booth with them, but the doctor vouched for me, so they reluctantly allowed it. Turns out it was a good thing, because as I was sitting there trying to make heads or tails out of the blobs on the screens, Jaden started screaming. They stopped the scan, rushed me in, and after some soothing words to the little guy I was able to keep him calm enough for them to finish what they needed to do.

"You're doing good, buddy, I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere," I whispered soothingly to him as he whimpered.

"I'm scared, Mr. Cullen, I want Chocolate."

"Miss Zafrina is trying to find Chocolate for you, okay? As soon as we can get him, you can have him."

"O...okay."

He was quiet and relatively still while they finished up, but when the table shook as he was moved out of the machine, he began to panic. "Mr. Cullen!"

I gave his hand a little squeeze, afraid to hurt it any more than it already was. "I'm right here, little buddy. They're just moving you out of the big x-ray machine. There's nothing to be scared of."

"I feel funny," he groaned. "Something's not right."

"Guys! Something's wrong! Get the damn doctor in here, NOW!"

One of the technicians called for the doctor, who rushed over to us. "Jaden, where do you feel funny?"

There is a stressful silence before he whispered very quietly, "The lights are bright and my tummy hurts."

His eyes are so swollen shut there is no way he would be able to see any light at all, much less the very dim lighting in the room.

"What are the lights doing, son?" the doctor asked, as he took out a pen light to check his eyes. Jaden spoke before the doctor could turn the light on.

"They..." he stopped, so the doctor nudged him gently.

"They what, Jaden? Stay awake, son."

"Guns. The lights sound like..."

His hand went limp in mine for a brief moment before his whole body jerked and tightened up. I knew this posturing, I had seen it before so many times, and it scared the shit out of me. "Fuck, doc, he's having a seizure!"

"Doctor Singh," one of the technicians called out over the intercom, "he's got a brain bleed, and there's definite bleeding around one of his kidneys."

"NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! Doc, do something!" I cried out as Jaden's hand gripped mine tightly as his muscles seized even harder.

"Mr. Cullen, we've got to go now. We'll do what we can for him, and we'll have Zafrina keep you posted."

I leaned down and gave Jaden a kiss on his bloody forehead. "You hang in there, little buddy. I'll be here when you come back, so you better come back."

I called out to Dr. Singh as they left me standing helpless and alone in the room. "SAVE HIM, DOC! Don't let him die."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"Emmett?"

I looked up to see Rosie standing in front of me. In less than an instant, I threw myself at her and we ended up on the floor, me sobbing into her shoulder. She gently rubbed circles on my back with one hand and scratched my scalp with the other.

"What's going on? Have you heard anything yet?"

I shook my head, unable to speak.

Zafrina came over and offered to take us to a quiet room where we could be alone, instead of me bawling my eyes out in the waiting room. Once inside the room, Zafrina informed me that there had, in fact, been a bleed on Jaden's brain, but that the doctors were able to contain it; it wasn't a deep bleed, more or less a superficial intracranial one. I knew from my experience with Bella and all I've learned about head injuries at the rehab, that this was better news than I could have hoped for.

"The biggest concern right now is the internal bleeding. One of his kidneys was lacerated and they are doing what they can to fix it. In the end, though, they may just have to remove it."

My head flew up. "What the hell?"

The kind social worker smiled at me. "People can live very long and productive lives with one kidney, Emmett."

My stomach starts to roll again. What the hell is wrong with me? "It's not just that, but what kind of force does it take to lacerate a fucking kidney? What did that kid go through tonight?"

Zafrina sighed sadly as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "He went through more than any child should ever have to endure. Not only is he going to have to deal with a painful physical recovery, but he's likely going to be traumatized by what he saw. It wouldn't surprise me if he suffers from severe PTSD."

Rosie inhaled sharply. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder? In a child that young? Oh, Emmett, what's going to happen to him?"

I put my arms around Rose and held her to me tightly. "I don't know, babe. I just don't know. Zafrina?"

"Yes, Emmett?"

"If he has no family to look after him, what happens then?"

It was Zafrina's turn to sigh. "He'll likely enter the foster care system when he's physically able to leave the hospital. We have some families in the area who are equipped to deal with children in his situation."

"Strangers?" I asked. Fuck that. I had seen the handiwork of some of the state's beloved foster families, and I couldn't bear the thought of Jaden getting lost in the system. "No."

"What do you mean, by _no_, Emmett?" Zafrina asked.

"We'll take him. I can't let him get lost in the foster care system. No offence, because I know there are lots of loving, caring families out there, but I can't let that happen to him. Rosie and I will take him. What do we have to do?"

Rose's grip on my arm tightened as I spoke and I knew I should have discussed this with her because it involves her directly, but I was too scared of what was going to happen to Jaden. There was no time to debate or talk right now. "Em, are you sure?"

I looked at her and saw apprehension in her eyes. I also saw a lot of love, and that cemented it. "As sure as I am that I love you. We can't let him go, babe. I can't do that to him."

Zafrina squatted down so she was facing me at eye level. "Emmett, it's not as easy as that. I can put in for temporary guardianship until we can sort something out. We don't know for sure that there isn't a family member out there who can and will take him, but in the meantime, I think you're the best thing he's got to a family. If you and your wife..."

"Fiancée," Rose corrected her.

"If you and your _fiancée_ are willing to take on temporary guardianship, I would gladly get the paperwork started. I would assume that because you are a schoolteacher, your background check has already been done and it's just a matter of contacting the school board to get your records sent over. I have to warn you, however, that some may see it as a conflict of interest because you ARE his teacher. I will do what I can, though, to make this as easy as possible. If his grandparents will sign off on their rights, or better yet, name you as guardian, it will go a little easier. There are also home studies, interviews, and classes amongst other things that you will be required to undergo. It could take months Emmett.

"If," she continued, "for some reason you feel that you can no longer look after his needs, and they will be many after something like this, we can place him in a home."

"Zafrina, I can assure you that my experience with trauma is extensive."

"How so?"

I grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip. "Let me tell you about my future sister-in-law Bella."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Jaden was in surgery for almost ten hours. They took care of his brain bleed, were able to save his lacerated kidney after a valiant battle, put pins in his broken arm, and braced his broken ribs. He looked worse coming out of surgery than he did going in, but we all felt confident that he would heal, in time. I had no doubt that he would bounce back from the physical injuries, but would he get through the emotional ones? Rose reminded me that I needed to call into the school, so I talked to them about taking a leave of absence for at least the next couple of weeks. They really understood, and told me that I was welcome to take as much time as I needed. Turns out that everyone, even the school board, was behind me taking guardianship of him, and it was refreshing to see how everyone was bending over backwards to make things happen quickly. That's what I loved about working at a small school and being good at what I do; people are more apt to want to help. I asked if they would get Jasper to cover for me, not only because he needs the hours, but because he had been my TA for the past week and he knows better than anyone what materials we were covering in class. I was confident that he and Carmen would be able to hold down the fort.

Thankfully, Zafrina was able to get a hold of Jaden's moose, because it was the first thing he asked for when he woke up several hours after coming out of surgery. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried like a motherfucking baby when he opened his mouth and whispered "Chocolate."

"Chocolate's right here, little buddy," I said, placing the moose gently in his right arm, which was splinted to keep his IV line in place. His left arm was casted to his elbow, and the doctor had informed me that there were four pins and a rod placed in his forearm. "He's been waiting for you to wake up."

I watched as he pulled the moose up to his face and rubbed one of the antlers under his swollen nose, against the oxygen canula. "Mr...Mr...Cullen? You stayed?" His voice was very weak, barely audible. His throat was probably raw and sore from the breathing tube.

"Of course I did, I told you I would." I gently ran my fingers across his cheek, collecting the tears that were seeping from his swollen eyes. "And you don't have to call me Mr. Cullen right now; you can call me Emmett or Em."

"Sometimes we call him Emmy," Rose said quietly from behind me. "Hi, Jaden, I'm Rosie, Mr. Cullen's fiancée."

"Hi," he whispered shyly, "Miss Rosie."

"Jaden, buddy, can you tell me something? You need to be honest with me, okay?"

The little boy began to tremble. "Ooookay."

God, he was terrified. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. We just need to know if you're hurting anywhere right now. The doctors can give you medicine to make it not hurt as much."

He nodded a little before he whispered to me. "I hurt everywhere."

"Thanks for telling me the truth. You don't have to be afraid to tell me if you hurt, okay? Got it, kiddo? You can tell me anything at all. I won't get mad or yell or hurt you. Got it?"

"Mr. Emmy?"

I choked back a laugh. Well, that's a start, I guess. We'll have to break him of that habit soon. "Yeah, buddy?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Staying. I'm...I'm scared and I'm sad and I don't know what's real right now because I can't see, but I can feel you, so I know you're real. I just wish I could see you and Miss Rosie."

"Your eyes are swollen up, but as soon as the swelling goes down, you'll be able to see us just fine. But you know what Miss Rosie looks like already. I have her picture on my desk at school."

His mouth opened wide and his body jerked, scaring the shit right out of me. "Oh no! I'm late for school, Mr. Emmett. We're late. We should go," he started to struggle. "We're going to get in trouble!"

I gently restrained him so he wouldn't hurt himself further. "No, no, Jaden. We don't have to go to school for a while. You can go back when you're feeling better. Think of it as a little vacation. We can do schoolwork while you're in the hospital, though, if you feel like you're missing out on something."

He giggled a little and my heart swelled. "Okay."

Jaden yawned, and I suddenly felt bad for keeping him talking when clearly he was exhausted. "Why don't you take a nap? We'll be here when you wake up, okay? You need your sleep to get better."

"Okay. Oh, Miss Rosie?" he asked quietly. Rose moved to stand by his side, running her fingers up and down his forearm.

"Yes, Jaden?"

"You're pretty."

And with that, I watched as Rosalie Hale, owner of my heart, fell in love with another man, and I was perfectly fine with that.

* * *

**Bet you weren't expecting that, were you?**

**So, what do you think so far? Please, I'm dying to know.**

**Speaking of which, thanks SO much for all the wonderful "welcome backs" and great reviews last chapter. You guys really know how to make a girl feel good.**

**So, since we're getting closer to October, I thought I'd tell you about a project that I'm a part of. Breath-of-Twilight has organized another Halloween Countdown this year and I'm honoured to be a part of it. Go check out and bookmark this link and check back in on October 1st for the first one-shot.  
www (DOT) fanfiction (DOT) net/s/6326403/1/ **

**Fic recs:**

**In honour of the _bigger_ Bellas out there in fanficdom, here are three of my favourites:**

**_Hands Open_ by Nikita2009  
_Let's Get Physical_ by Lalina  
_Daniel Gale: Cumming To America _by danielgaleh00rs**

**DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN STAGE TWO OF THE HIDDEN STAR AWARDS! (LINK AVAILABLE IN CHAPTER ONE)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Emmett wanted me to thank everyone for all the love he's been getting from you. Actually, I believe his words were: "Tell the h00rs that I love the shit out of them and am counting on having tons of sitters when the little dude is feeling better so me and Rosie can go out and be grown-ups for a while."**_

**_Gotta love Emmett, eh?_**

**_As always I have to thank Katmom and Minna, without whom this story would likely not be here. I also want to thank Readergoof for the incredible banner she created for this story. I'll post a link to it on my profile._**

**_Stephenie Meyer created Twilight and I just do horrible nasty things to its characters._**

_**Back to the drama. Tissues might be a good idea.**_

**_

* * *

_**

_**Rosalie**_

I watched helplessly as Emmett agonized over the little boy in the bed. Jaden drifted in and out of consciousness every couple of hours, and it was impossible to know how he was going to react each time he came to. Sometimes he seemed fine, well, as fine as a little boy as broken as he is can be, and other times he screamed bloody murder until they were able to sedate him. With every scream and cry, I could see another piece of Emmett's heart breaking. My big softie was suffering along with Jaden.

It would be a lie to say that I wasn't aching with him. Jaden stole my heart the moment I saw him, and when he started calling me _Miss Rosie_, well, he had me hook, line, and sinker. I swore at that moment that I would do anything and everything in my power to make sure he was okay, to keep him safe, and maybe, just maybe, make him the newest member of our family.

As big of a hard ass bitch as people tend to think I am, I have a soft spot for children. I LOVE kids, and someday I want to have a house full of them and it doesn't matter to me if I give birth to them or if they come to me in some other fashion; I want to be a mother. I want a child to feel the motherly love that I was denied by my own flesh and blood. If Jaden needs me to step up and love him like a mother, then I will gladly take it on.

It was three days after Jaden was admitted to the hospital that Zafrina finally took me aside for a chat. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't anticipating this—I'm as involved in this as Emmett is, and surely, they will need to screen me or something. I have been reading up on guardianship and adoption and I know that there are strict rules and guidelines that need to be adhered to and our situation, being as fucked up as it is, would likely require some extra _attention_.

"Rosalie, your criminal background check came back clean, so we are able to add you on to the guardianship orders. The judge will be signing off on them this afternoon. Before everything is finalized, I just wanted to take a few minutes to talk to you about this. Emmett has made it VERY clear that he wants to assume the care of this little boy, but you've been relatively quiet about everything. As his partner, I need to know how YOU are feeling about it."

The judge is signing off today? Wow, according to the literature I had been reading, I was prepared to wait at least a couple of weeks or possibly a month before anything would be taken care of. Perhaps the severity of Jaden's medical situation was speeding things up. I looked at our new friend and smiled a little. "I would be lying if I didn't have some concerns, but that aside, I have never felt more sure of something, Zafrina. This little boy stole my heart the moment I saw him, and after what he did for Bella and Edward last year, well, we all had a soft spot for him anyway."

She looked at me, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

I told Zafrina about the card Jaden had made and the conversation he'd had with Emmett about Emma and his baby brother Casey. "We were all amazed at the amount of compassion this little boy had for people he had never met, and the understanding he had about the death of his brother. I can't tell you just how awful it is that someone took it upon themselves to try to break this little boy, especially since it was his own father." Damn tears. Ever since the damn phone rang, I've been bursting into tears at the drop of a hat, especially where Jaden is concerned.

Zafrina handed me a tissue. "Thanks."

"Rosalie, the police found a suicide note at the house and we will likely have a chance to read it, or at least excerpts of it, to try to make sense of this insanity. I think it would be best if this was done with me or a licensed therapist present. You and Emmett will likely require some outside _help_ with dealing with this.

"You do understand that this little boy will require around the clock care for the next couple of months. Are you and Emmett equipped to take this on?"

I did understand because we had discussed it at length when Jaden was sleeping. "Emmett's mother, Esme, has offered to come help while he is recovering physically, as well as his father, who is a well-respected surgeon in Forks. Emmett's brother Edward, his girlfriend Bella, and my twin brother Jasper and his fiancée Alice will all be available to help when needed. I'm just finishing my undergrad and would be more than willing to take a year or two off from pursuing my graduate studies to make sure he's okay. Right now my schedule is starting to become a little more hectic with finals, but I think that until school is out, Jaden will be in good hands with Mrs. Cullen."

Her pen scratched across the page as she made notes in her notebook before looking back at me. "Rosalie, are you really willing to put your life and career on hold to raise this child? Have you thought about the ramifications of this? We don't want you waking up someday down the road and feeling resentment toward Emmett or even Jaden about this. Have you thought this over?"

"Yes, Zafrina, I have. I have spoken to Emmett and his parents about this, and when I look at Jaden and think about everything he's lost, I can't feel anything but blessed by what I have, the people who are willing to support us, and an incredible amount of love for him."

"Could you provide me with contact information for these other family members? We are required to do background checks on people who will be directly involved in his life."

"Certainly. My phone is back in Jaden's room; I can get a list of numbers for you shortly." I reach for her hand. "Thank you, Zafrina. Thank you for being so kind, for caring, and for doing everything you can to help him, and help us. We would love to have him live with us, to take him in, love him, and we'll do whatever it takes to make it happen.

"My parents were far from perfect, in fact, they were subpar when it came to parenting and love, but it's because of that that I have so much more to give. I don't want another child to go through what I did, living in the shadow of a mother hell-bent on perfection, even if it means neglecting your children emotionally and a father who was present in body, but not in spirit. I never felt like I was good enough or that anyone but my brother and grandfather loved me, and I have a feeling that Jaden is going to be feeling the same way. I have a lot to give to him, we both do."

Zafrina leaned over to give me a hug. "I will do what I can, Rosalie. I can't think of two better people to care for him."

"Do you mind if I go back? I've been trying to get Emmett to go home to shower and sleep for the past couple of days and his brother is on his way here to help me."

She stood up with me and smiled. "Of course, but I don't envy you that task. I think it's endearing just how devoted to Jaden Emmett has become, but I don't think he'll budge quickly or quietly."

I winked at her. "I have my ways."

My heart swelled exponentially when I returned to Jaden's room. Emmett was fast asleep with his head on the bed, while Jaden was running his fingers through Em's short hair.

"Hi, buddy, it's me, Rosie," I whispered to him, hoping not to startle him. Not being able to see had made him jumpy and it's easy to understand why. We've been trying our hardest to be conscious of this fact when we're around him. He jumped a little, but then smiled, turning his head in my direction as I continued speaking. "I see you got Emmett to fall asleep. Good job, he's been staying up too late lately and he needs his sleep as much as you do."

"Hi, Miss Rosie. Did you know that Mr. Emmy snores?"

"Yeah, I did. It's kind of funny, isn't it?"

He giggled. "Yeah, it is."

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

He was quiet for a moment, then whispered that he'd like a Popsicle. I told him that I would be right back and gave him a kiss on his bruised and swollen forehead before I left the room.

I ran into Edward and Bella as I was leaving his room. "Oh, thank God. I hope you guys can talk some sense into Emmett and get him to go home."

Bella snorted. "I can tell you from experience, Rosie, that he won't leave Jaden's side until he knows for sure that he's okay. With that in mind," she paused, passing me a duffle bag, "we brought a change of clothes for both of you and some toiletries in case he won't go home. You could both likely use a shower. Have you been home much in the past few days?"

Had I been home much? If I had to think so hard about it, chances were that I hadn't been there much. The past couple of days had passed by so quickly that it was hard to know when one day ended and another began. "Yeah, once or twice." Okay, I might have stretched the truth a little bit when I answered, but I knew that if I told them the truth that it wouldn't be well-received.

Edward moved closer to the door and looked in. "How's he doing?"

"He's...well, he's a seven year old kid who has been through entirely too much. He has his moments. Why don't you guys go in and say hi. I'm on my way to get him a Popsicle."

When I returned with the cold treat, I found that Emmett was still sleeping and Jaden was smiling about something.

"Miss Rosie? Is that you?"

"I'm right here, sweetie. I found a grape Popsicle for you, is that okay?"

He nodded, reaching blindly for it. "Miss Rosie, Miss Bella and Mr. Edward brought me some new books and Miss Bella said that she would read them to me. Is that okay?"

I looked over at Bella and smiled. Bella has always been extremely thoughtful, and to be honest, I never would have thought about bringing in books. Oh...shit, maybe I AM in over my head? I plastered a smile on my face as I placed the Popsicle in his hand, wrapping his fingers around the wooden stick. "It sure is. What books did you bring, Bella?"

"I thought maybe Jaden could use some magic, so we brought the Harry Potter series for him. Emmett loves the books too, so it's something everyone will enjoy. Jaden mentioned that Emmett has been reading the books to the kids during story time."

Harry Potter? Isn't that a little advanced for little kids? "Um, Bella? Isn't that a little old for Jaden?"

"Miss Rosie, Mr. Emmett already read the first two books to the class and it wasn't THAT scary," he says sarcastically, and I'm sure if his little eyes were able to open, we all would have been witness to some serious eye-rolling.

"Okay, then. You guys get started on reading, and I'm going to go wash up."

I wanted to hug Bella really hard when I got back to the room for having been so thoughtful as to bring me a change of clothes and some of my toiletries. Sometimes you don't really know how grimy and gross you are until you can feel it sliding down your skin trapped in lavender-scented bubbles. Shower time also gave me some freedom to let my thoughts wander, which started off okay, but ended with me feeling like I might be about to make a big decision. I mean, it's not like getting a cat or something—if we fuck up, we'll be fucking up a kid! A whirlwind of thoughts spun around in my head as the suds swirled down the drain until the water ran cold and I realized I'd been lost in thought for a lot longer than I initially thought.

When I returned from taking my shower in the parents' lounge, I founnd Bella in the bed reading to Jaden, but there was no sign of Edward or Emmett anywhere.

"Where's Emmett?" I asked, sitting down where he had been sleeping.

"Edward managed to talk him into going home for a shower and sleep. Actually, Jaden did a pretty good job of sweet talking him. Why don't you tell Rosie what you said to Emmett?"

Jaden turned his head toward me and opened his right eye just a tiny bit, which is better than it had been. "Oh! Hi, Miss Rosie. I told Mr. Emmy that he snores too loud and he was starting to smell funny. I hope he's not mad, but he said to tell him the truth and his smell was hurting my nose."

I couldn't hold back the laughter and I roared until there were tears streaming down my face and I was sobbing.

"Don't cry, Miss Rosie. I'm pretty sure he'll come back. He wants to read some Harry Potter with us too."

Is it possible to love this child any more than I did at this very moment in time? Probably not. "I'm not crying because I'm sad, sweetie, I'm crying because I laughed too hard. It's all good. Are you having fun with Bella?"

He nodded his little bandaged head a little. "Yes. Did you know that she's Emma's mommy? I made a card for her and Mr. Edward when they were sad."

There goes my heart again. This child was going to kill me with his sweetness.

"Yes, sweetheart, you did, and it made us both very happy. We are very lucky to know a special little boy like you," Bella said, giving him a little hug.

Jaden was quiet for a moment before a big tear fell down his cheek. It was hard to tell if it was run-off from his injuries or if he was crying. Soon enough, it was very clear that he was crying, but trying very hard not to. "Miss Rosie, Miss Bella?" he whispered.

"Yes, sweetie?" I said, sitting on his other side, trying to be mindful of the tubes and lines coming out of him.

"Do you think that...that my mommy is with Casey and Emma? Do you think she's looking after them now?"

Thank God Bella was here to handle this, because my throat almost instantly closed up with emotion and my heart broke. Again, another example of just how out of my league I am with this. I think Bella picked up on it because she snuggled in closer and began to speak to him in soothing tones.

"Well, Jaden, I most certainly do think that your mommy is with Casey and Emma now. She's going to take good care of our babies and she's going to be your guardian angel, because that's what mommies do, sweetheart; mommies ALWAYS love their babies, even when they can't be with them." Bella gently touched his chest, just over his heart. "Your mommy will always be in your heart."

"With...with Casey?"

"Yes, sweetheart, with Casey."

Jaden leaned on Bella and cried softly until he fell asleep. When I knew for sure that he was really out, I got up and left the room, walking down the hall until I found an empty quiet room, where I could sit down and I completely lost it. How was I going to get Jaden through this when I couldn't even come up with an answer to his questions? Maybe I should tell Zafrina that I'm in over my head and I can't do this.

But I can't do that to Jaden. I'll have to suck it up and do what I have to, even if that means taking parenting courses, or keeping Bella with me 24/7. The tissue box beside me was taunting me, so I grabbed it, and threw it against the wall. Damn my goddamn mother for not teaching me any of this shit! Any experience I had with compassion when I was growing up came from my grandfather, and even he couldn't teach me how to deal with this. I'm not maternal enough to do this. I'm going to wreck him.

"Rose? Are you okay?"

I looked up to see Bella in the doorway, eyeing the dented tissue box on the floor.

"Who's with Jaden?"

"It's okay, he's sleeping. Come on back and we can talk."

She held out her hand to me, pulling me into a strong hug before we walked back to the room where Jaden was thankfully still fast asleep.

"I'm scared, Bella," I whispered as I looked down at the little boy asleep in the big hospital bed. "I thought I could do this, but I don't know. I completely froze up when he asked that question. I don't know what I would have done if you wouldn't have been here. Maybe I don't have that _mothering_ gene? What if my mom's straightforward bitchery has destroyed my ability to censor myself and tie things up in a pretty bow?" I walked over to the bed, reaching over the rail and gently running my fingers through his hair. "What if I break him worse than he's already broken?"

Jaden grunted quietly, moving his hand up to his mouth and began sucking on his thumb. God, this kid makes my ovaries ache so badly! "Bella, you know I want kids, but I don't know if I can be what he needs."

"Rosie, he'll let you know who he needs you to be. It's not going to be easy, he's got a long way to go, but I think you're perfect for each other, and I think that your maternal instinct will kick in in no time. Right now, he needs security, comfort, and constancy and those are all things you can definitely offer him. If he's allowed to stay with you for longer, he will require different things from you, but you'll learn together. Although his emotional needs will be different, I don't think that adapting to having Jaden in your life will be much different than adapting to having a baby. You need to figure out what works for ou both and go with it. Sure, you'll make mistakes, but we all do. Even though there have been a million books written about parenthood, there really is no one set of rules you have to follow other than love your child and do what you have to do to ensure their safety. Kids are like snowflakes, Rose, no one is exactly the same as another."

I sniffled as Bella wiped a tear from my cheek. "How'd you get so smart, Bella?"

"I learned from the best. Speaking of which, when are Carlisle and Esme arriving?"

"They'll be here tomorrow. Carlisle had to clear up some stuff at the hospital and they decided just to wait and drive down together. I really hate that Esme has to come and help us like this, but we're really going to need to have her around; she can offer him something that neither Emmett, nor I can right now, and that's pure, unadulterated mother's love. She's got more mothering skills in her pinkie finger than I do in my entire body."

Bella snickered. "Yeah, but that's because she raised Emmett, Edward, and sometimes me. She'll be able to guide you on how to handle some of these tougher questions. Not only that, Jaden needs to get in therapy ASAP. I'm surprised they haven't had someone in to talk to him already. I think if you can keep him talking about things, he's more liable to process everything that's happened a little easier. Do you know how much he saw?"

I shook my head. "No. We're letting him talk on his own terms right now. Zafrina is arranging for a therapist who deals with children who have endured traumatic violent crimes to come in the next day or so to get things started. I have to agree with you too, that I thought someone would have come sooner. Maybe the therapist is busy or something." I moved away from the bed toward the window and looked out into the fading daylight. "I'm okay with a therapist talking to him, but the police have been pushing to make him talk, Bella. I don't know why, because they have all the evidence they need, not to mention it's not like they are going to be charging his father's corpse. I don't see why they have to push this so soon."

"They're only doing their jobs," she replied, putting her arm around my shoulder. "Trust me, as the daughter of a former Chief of Police, I can assure you that they won't push him further than he can handle, but I also don't think he's as fragile as everyone makes him out to be. He'll be okay, Rose."

"Do you really think so?" I looked at his reflection in the tinted windowpane. It's hard to believe that the poor, pathetic little creature in that bed had been running around, laughing, and playing just days before.

"Yes, I do. Kids are resilient creatures, Rose, and sometimes I don't think they're given the credit they are due. Just like you, Rosie. You and Emmett are going to be a godsend to this little boy. Now," she turned us around. "Why don't you go get some sleep? I can stay here with Jaden until the boys get back. Alice and Jasper said they would stop by later as well. I promise I won't leave his side for a second."

As hard as it was for me to acquiesce, exhaustion was setting in and I could feel my body starting to shut down. I'd be telling a bold face lie if I didn't admit that a couple of hours of sleep would be good. "Okay. I'll go, BUT you have to promise to call me if he gets scared, upset, or if he's crying, okay? I'll have my cell with me in bed, as I'm sure Emmett will too."

She smiled at me and I could see relief in her eyes. "I promise. Now go."

I moved toward the bed, where I leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, kiddo. I'll be back soon."

_**Emmett**_

"Yes, Ma, I'm getting enough sleep," I whined to my mom on the phone.

"If that's so, then why do I hear Edward in the background saying that you're lying?"

Damn it. "That's because my baby brother is a tattletale jackass. Look, Ma, I'm trying, okay? It's hard to leave him. He gets scared when he's alone. He can't see anything and he gets nervous when he thinks he's alone or there's someone he doesn't know in the room."

"The girls are with him now, aren't they? He won't be alone. Why can't you just sleep for a couple of hours? You're no good to him if you're dead on your legs."

"I pulled off longer hours when Bella was in the hospital. I can do this."

Mom sighed heavily. "Sweetheart, that was five years ago, you were younger, and you weren't going to have to bring Bella home to raise when it was over. You are going to need your rest, I'm telling you now. I know I'll be there to help you soon, but in the meantime, take his advice and snore at home and take a shower. I can only imagine the funk coming off of you right now."

It was my turn to sigh. "I guess you're right, Ma. I just feel so...protective of him. We're all he's got left, except for his elderly grandparents who have signed off any parental rights. As long as the judge sees us as fit, we'll be taking care of him. As soon as possible, I'm going to put in to adopt him. Can you ask Dad to talk to Jenks about adoption? Maybe he can suggest someone in the Seattle area who can help me?"

"If you PROMISE to get some sleep, I'll mention it to your father. Now, please, for the sake of that child, get some sleep."

I yawned loudly, not able to hide it anymore. "Yeah, Ma. I'm on it."

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. You're going to be a fantastic father to this child. I love you."

"I love you too, Ma. Drive safe. I'll see you soon."

"Give my love to the others, okay?"

"Yup. Bye, Ma."

I ended the call and turned to face my brother, whose smirk was almost instantly wiped from his smug face. "You had to tell Ma I wasn't sleeping? Nice one, brother."

"Em, you needed someone to talk some sense into you. You need more sleep than you're getting sawing logs on that poor kid's hospital bed, not to mention Jaden's right, you reek. Why don't you go take a shower, I'll heat up some lasagne for you, and then you can take a nap, okay?"

"Fine."

Have you ever fallen asleep in the shower? It's not easy, but I managed to do it. I woke up as my ass was hitting the tiled floor. I was too exhausted to bother eating by the time I crawled out of the shower, instead choosing to flop on my bed and pass out cold.

My dreams were not conducive to getting good sleep at all, but the bit of rest I did manage seemed to give me a little jolt of energy. It didn't hurt either that when I did open my eyes, Rosie was snuggled into me, snoring lightly. I stretched then kissed the top of her head before getting out of bed.

Wait, if Rosie's here, who's at the hospital with Jaden?

I ran out of my room and found a note on the counter.

_Em,_

_Bella and I are with Jaden at the hospital. Please stop worrying and get some more sleep. Alice and Jasper will be joining us later, so Jaden won't be alone for a second. There's food in the fridge, just pop it in the microwave. We'll call if there's a problem._

_Edward_

Fuck that! I grabbed my phone and called my brother. It immediately went to voice mail. Shit, I bet he has it turned off because they're at the hospital. I dug through the utility drawer until I found the phone book, looking up the phone number for the childrens' hospital. When I got through to the nurses' station outside his room, Maria insisted that everything was fine; in fact, Jaden was in there laughing at something right then.

"They're not overtiring him, are they?" I asked, pacing back and forth across the tiled kitchen floor. "He's not in pain is he?"

"No, Emmett, he's fine. Laughter is good for him. Calm down; I promise to keep an eye on them and if they get too rowdy, I'll kick some of them out. That Jasper guy is a real hoot, by the way. Jaden is quite taken with what he calls _Mr. Jasper's cowboy voice_."

I absently scratched my head. "So, you're sure he's fine?"

"Yes, Emmett. Please, go back to bed and get some sleep. Tell Rosalie the same thing. We'll call at the first sign of anything being wrong, okay?"

I exhaled, afraid that I was making a mistake by not going back right away, but I knew she's right. "Fine, Maria. I'm going back to bed. But don't let them keep him up too late, he needs his sleep."

"Sweet dreams, Emmett."

Whatever.

Rosie and I woke up three hours later feeling a lot better. I suggested we take a shower before heading back to the hospital. Rosie was sluggish at first, but I quickly snapped her out of her fog when I rubbed my post-nap, mid-afternoon wood against her ass.

"Now, Emmett?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at me.

"Either you help me with it, or I take care of it myself, babe."

"Your timing is far from appropriate, Emmett," she mumbled, sleepily. "We've got a very sick little boy in the hospital and you're rubbing your dick on my ass?"

This was one of those moments when someone says or does something that makes you so happy that your heart feels like it's going to explode and leave a huge hole in your chest and a massive mess on the walls. There was one word in her response that brought that feeling on. One word, and a two-letter word at that. "We? I like the sound of that, Rosie," I said sincerely as I placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. I moved my hands around to her lower abdomen and gave her a squeeze as I whispered into her ear. "I never thought that our first kid would be seven years old. You really lost the baby weight quickly."

She chuckled before she sighed. "Are we doing the right thing, Emmett? Can we be who he needs?"

I nuzzled her neck, just below her earlobe until I got a small moan out of her. "I do. I think we can be more than that. I think we can really make a difference, babe."

"Well," she mused momentarily, "I suppose there's nothing better than trial by fire, and we've got lots of support." She turned around and palmed my cock. "Okay, we have a few minutes to spare. Give it to me, big guy."

I love when my girl gets like that, all feisty and dominant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not all into that Domme/sub shit, but I really get off when she takes charge. Rosie lifted a leg up to my hip, encouraging me to hoist her up so we could get into position. I gave it to my girl good and hard, just the way she likes it. As soon as she screamed my name and tensed up, signalling that she'd come, I put it to her even harder until I bust a nut, spilling into her with a loud grunt.

The only sound was of water rushing and our panting. After a moment, she spoke quietly, breathlessly. "God, that felt good, Em. That's the longest we've gone without sex since...well, in a while."

"Thanks, Rosie," I panted against her shoulder as I set her back down on the floor, "I needed that. Now, let's hurry the fuck up and get back to the hospital."

"Man, we're really going to have to watch that now, aren't we?"

"What's that?" I asked as I handed her a towel.

"The fucking and the fucking swearing. We've got a kid now."

Well shit on stick. We do, don't we.

* * *

_**So, what are your thoughts? You know I love hearing from you, and you'll get a little peek at the next chapter.**_

_**Speaking about the sneak peeks, I know that there are some people out there who don't like getting the sneak peeks. I have no problem omitting them if you let me know that you would prefer not to receive one. I'm easy like that.**_

_**Emmett: THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!**_

**_Oh, Emmett._**

**_A big thank you to everyone who voted in the Hidden Star Awards. We're still waiting to find out who won..._**

**_Fic Recs:_**

**_My Minnakoda's got a new fic: Dark Temptation It's a neat B&J fic that started off as a naughty one-shot._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Let's try this again...sigh...the technical difficulty gnomes are working overtime.**_

_**HUGE thanks to Katmom and Minnakoda who are the meat on this story's bones.**_

_**Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight, _I own the first season of _Glee_ on DVD._**

**_I'd say that this chapter scores low on the _Schmitty Scale of Sobs_. At least I hope so...otherwise she'll come after me._**

**_

* * *

_**

_**Bella**_

I couldn't help but grin a little when I looked down; Jaden was sleeping quietly in the bed beside me, his beloved moose clutched tightly in his good hand. I pulled the blanket over him a little more and smiled as he tried to snuggle in closer to me.

It was in moments like these that I missed Emma, but at the same time, it gave me a strange sort of comfort that she wasn't here to see this, to possibly experience the cruelty of life. This poor little boy lost everything in one very messed up moment, and he'll likely never understand why. His bones and organs will heal, but his heart will always be scarred.

He began to whimper a little bit, so I ran my fingers through his short hair, being careful not to hit any of the stitches. They had removed his bandages earlier, and I have to say that I was shocked when I saw them all. I wasn't expecting to react the way I that did; I think it hit a little too close to home. While his scars would likely mirror some of my own, at least he wouldn't have to deal with a brain injury on top of everything else; they were able to remove the subdural hematoma before it could do much damage.

"Shh, darling little one, it's okay, you're not alone."

The whimpering ebbed until he let out a horrified scream seconds later. I immediately jumped into mother mode, trying to comfort him, and assured the nurses who ran in that he was just having a nightmare. Maria sent away the other nurse and approached us. "Is he okay, Bella?"

I tried to smile reassuringly at her. "I think so. It was likely just a bad dream; he seems to be calmed down now. I remember that I used to have horrible vivid nightmares when I was taking heavy painkillers."

The kind nurse looked down at the little guy and sighed sadly. "Poor little muffkin. No child deserves to go through what he did."

"You're right, but I think if any little boy can get through it, it's this one. He's an old soul, Maria." I caressed the cheek that was less swollen. "He'll be in good hands now. Emmett and Rose won't let anything happen to him, he'll be well-loved by all of us—if the judge will allow it."

Maria looked up at me, smiling. "There's no doubt in my mind that this little guy will be in much better hands if the judge grants guardianship to your family. Should I call Emmett and let him know that Jaden's had a nightmare? He asked me to tell him if anything went wrong."

"No, let them sleep. He's fine. I think that Alice and Jasper tired him out. It's hard to make Alice understand that not everyone is as hyper as she is."

Jaden whimpered again, before letting out a groan. "Miss Bella?" he whispered.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Can you tell Miss Maria that my belly really hurts and I'm thirsty?"

I looked over at Maria, who moved back over to the bed. "Jaden, it's me, Miss Maria. Do you mind if I check your belly?"

He groaned a little when he moved to face her. "Okay, but can I have a Popsicle after that?"

"We'll see. Will you tell me where it hurts?"

He nodded, moving his good hand down to his lower abdomen.

"What kind of hurt is it, sweetie? Is it sharp stabby hurt, or is it burning, or is it like a thump thump?" Maria gently put pressure on his bruised, swollen abdomen.

Jaden let out a pitiful howl. "I don't know, but that hurts! Please stop."

Maria pulled the blanket back up, shaking her head at me. My heart fell...this can't be good. "I'm going to get the doctor, and I'm going to call Emmett. Jaden, buddy, you did really good. I'm going to get the doctor to come look at your belly. We'll be right back."

"Popsicle?" he cried out weakly.

"We'll have to ask the doctor, okay? Miss Bella can give you some ice, if you want."

"Please?" he whispered, turning his head toward me, "I'm soooo thirsty." His right eye opened up a little more and he gasped. "Miss Bella, I can see you!"

I moved over so he could see me a little better. "Hi Jaden! You've got beautiful blue eyes under there, don't you? I can't wait to see both of them."

He smiled weakly, snuggling back under the blankets. "I'm tired, Miss Bella, and reaaaally thirsty."

Maria quickly returned with a cup of ice chips and a promise that the doctor was on his way. She also mentioned that someone had called Emmett and he was on his way. Jaden sighed contentedly when I placed an ice chip in his mouth.

"Mm...it's cold. Nice."

I moved to get out of the bed when Dr. Singh arrived, but he asked me to stay with the boy. "He might need you. So, Jaden, Nurse Maria tells me that your belly is hurting. Can you show me where?"

"No, but Chocolate will." We all watched as he moved his moose down close to where there were some ugly staples and stitches in his little torso. "Down there, Doctor, where the bumps are."

"This is likely going to hurt a little, but I'll try to be fast. Can you be brave for me again?" Dr. Singh asked politely, quietly, and in a tone of voice that was surprisingly soothing. "Hold onto Chocolate if you need to, and your friend here will help you. So," he said, as he started moving his hands around Jaden's abdomen. "Who's your friend, Jaden? Is this your wife?"

Jaden giggled a little. "No, Doctor, this is Miss Bella. She's Emma's mommy."

Dr. Singh looked up at me, smiling. "Oh, so is Emma your girlfriend?"

Jaden's smile faltered. "No, Doctor, she died. She's in heaven with my brother and my mommy. She's OUR angel. OW! No more, please. That hurt."

The kind doctor looked back at me, a question on his face. I nodded and he mouthed the words _I'm sorry_.

He poked and prodded Jaden's tender abdomen for another moment, asked me to help turn him onto his side, which made him cry out even harder, then pulled the blanket back up. "Well, Jaden my friend, I think you'll be okay, but I'd like to do an ultrasound on your belly to make sure that it's healing properly. Would you be okay with me squirting goo on you and running my buzzing machine over your tummy?"

"Will it hurt?" the little boy asked softly, squeezing my arm harder.

"Not much. Your friend can stay with you if you want. I heard Nurse Maria say that Mr. Cullen was coming back too. And, we don't even have to leave your bed. I can bring the machine right here."

The poor little guy was shaking against me, likely out of fear. I needed to do something to calm him down, to assure him that he'll be okay. "I've had an ultrasound before, Jaden, and they don't hurt, they just feel funny, and Miss Alice has them quite a bit on her big baby belly. The ultrasound takes pictures of your insides. Maybe Miss Alice will bring in a picture of the baby to show you."

He turned his head and buried his face in the crook of my arm. "If you say so, I guess I can do it."

Dr. Singh smiled at us. "You're such a good boy, Jaden. I'll be back in a little bit with my machine. Try to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay. Miss Bella, can I have another piece of ice? Please?"

"Of course you can." I put another chip in his mouth and couldn't help but smile when he sighed.

Emmett ran in, of course, when Dr. Singh was in the middle of running his test, at the exact moment that he hit a tender spot, making the little boy cry out. Emmett, of course, overreacted and was ready to throw the doctor out of the room. Thankfully, Rose was behind him and pulled into the corridor until the doctor is finished.

"All done, Jaden. I hope it didn't hurt too much."

He was whimpering into my side. "No, not too much, just some. Can I please have a Popsicle now?"

Dr. Singh looked at us, smiling sadly. "You sure can, little guy, you were so good when I was making you hurt that you definitely deserve to have one. I'll get Nurse Maria to bring one in for you right away, okay? Thank you for being so brave."

"Thank YOU for not making me cry REALLY hard this time," Jaden replied sarcastically.

We all laughed. This kid was a real charmer and not one to mince words. I was finding myself falling more and more in love with him.

Emmett came barrelling into the room, skidding to a stop by the bed. Jaden turned his head, opened his eye a little, smiling widely. "Mr. Emmy! You came back!"

"Of course I did! I was just home taking a shower and a snooze so I wouldn't keep you up with my stink and snoring. Did you have fun with Bella?" Emmett's attempt at sounding cheerful would likely fool Jaden, but not me. It wasn't hard to see how worried he was, how guilty he felt about not being here sooner. I can read Emmett like a book, and it's not a particularly good chapter right now.

Jaden's head bobbed up and down. "She's my best friend. She reads to me and gives me ice chips when my mouth is dry, and we have angels together, so she's my best friend. Right, Miss Bella?"

A tear dropped down my cheek and I was glad that he couldn't see clearly because I didn't want him to think I was sad. I was truly touched by this little boy and his big heart. "Right, Jaden."

"Mr. Cullen, could I speak to you for a moment?" Dr. Singh asked.

"I'll be right back, little buddy. Don't you and Miss Bella run away on me, okay?"

He giggled. "Silly Mr. Emmy, I can't run away; the machines beep too loud when I move too far."

_**Emmett**_

"What's going on, Doc?" I asked the second we are out into the hall.

"Well, Jaden was complaining of abdominal pain, and Maria had noticed that his urine production had slowed, so we did an ultrasound. There is a build-up of fluid around his damaged kidney. He's not in a lot of pain, but it's enough to make him uncomfortable. We're going to give him something for the discomfort, and I'll check on him again in a couple of hours. If the fluid hasn't gone down by then, or if he starts producing off-coloured urine, or his output of urine drops any further, we'll have to put in a drain. If the fluid continues to build up, and his general health declines, then I would be inclined to believe that the kidney is failing and we'll have to remove it. Maria is going to draw some blood and we'll run a couple of other tests. Likely this is just his body trying to heal, but we don't want to take any chances."

Dr. Singh was talking and all I could really comprehend was the bit about them removing his kidney. I thought we'd already dealt with that bullshit. Fuck! "Wait, he still might lose his kidney?"

Doctor Singh sighed, sounding frustrated. "It is still a possibility. But let's focus on the positive, okay? He's doing a lot better than expected at this point. He's a tough kid, Mr. Cullen."

I looked in at him, giggling with Bella and Rosie. "Yeah, he is."

The doctor patted my back. "I'll keep you posted, Mr. Cullen."

"Please call me Emmett. I'm too young to be mister to anyone but the kids in my class."

He laughed as he walked away. As soon as he turned the corner, I rushed back to Jaden's bedside.

"Mr. Emmy, I can see you a little bit now. I can see Miss Bella and Miss Rosie too. They're pretty."

It was hard not to laugh when I saw the girls both looking down on Jaden like he was some angel sent from heaven, or some precious fucking shoe they'd been adoring from afar. The kid's got game and he's going to be a handful when he gets older.

Hopefully _our_ handful.

"How're you doing, little buddy?"

"I'm kinda tired, but I don't wanna sleep until I have my Popsicle."

"Sorry I'm late, Jaden," Maria said, as she rushed back into the room. "I couldn't find an orange one, I hope grape is okay." She placed the stick in his hand and he smiled as he brought it to his mouth.

"Yup. I like the grape ones too."

"They turn your mouth purple." Bella was laughing as she wiped up a drop of purple water from his chin.

Maria took some blood when Jaden is preoccupied, and gave him a shot of something that made him fall asleep with his Popsicle still in his mouth. Bella quickly removed it, placing it in a nearby bedpan. I watched as she leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his head, and then whispered something to him before getting off the bed.

"I need to go home; I'm exhausted even though I ended up napping with him. Can you call Edward while I go to the washroom? I asked Maria to hook Jaden up with a bedside phone so we could all stay in touch."

Bella wobbled a little when she got up, and it was easy to see that she had completely drained herself. I picked up the phone and called my brother to let him know that he needed to come and pick up Bella before she fell over.

I looked back over at Jaden; his purple lips firmly suckling on his thumb, as he clung to his moose for dear life.

~OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo~

"Oh, look at them, Carlisle. Aren't they sweet?"

I lifted my head from the edge of the bed to see my parents staring down at us. I guess Rosie and I had both fallen asleep in our chairs, heads resting on the bed, while Jaden slept.

"Hi, Mom, Dad. Thanks for coming."

Mom moved closer to me and gave me a hug as she looked down at Jaden. "The poor, sweet angel. How's he doing?"

"He's better. They were worried yesterday that they might have to remove his kidney, but it was just a freak build-up of fluid. They were able to insert some sort of shunt or catheter to drain it without having to put him through surgery. He was really brave when they did it, too. I was so proud of him."

Dad stepped in closer and asked if I minded if he took a look. I gave him the okay, and he lifted the blanket gently to examine the incision. "Mm, whoever his surgeon was did a great job on the sutures, and I can see the drain is still in place."

"Yeah, they wanted to keep it in for a few days in case there was another flare-up. The doctors here have been great."

Mom looked at me, shaking her head. "You're exhausted. What did I tell you? Are your brother and Bella not helping you out? What about Alice and Jasper?"

"Everyone has been doing double duty, Ma, but it's me, I'm stubborn."

"Yup, he sure is," Rosie added groggily as she lifted her head. "Hi Esme, Carlisle."

"He snores too," Jaden mumbled.

Mom and Dad both burst out laughing, startling Jaden a little. He opened his good eye and squinted at them. "I don't know you, do I?"

"Not yet, sweetheart, but I hope you'll know us well soon enough."

He rubbed his eye sleepily and yawned. "S'cuse me. Um, wait. Are you Missus Esme and Doctor Carlisle? You're Mr. Emmy's mommy and daddy?"

They smiled at him. "Yes, son, we are. And you must be the famous Jaden," Dad said as he moved closer to the bed. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You aren't going to poke me, are you?" he asked suspiciously. "All the other doctors poke me and make me hurt."

"No, son, I won't poke you. You're right, I AM a doctor, but I'm not working now, so while I'm here, I'm just Carlisle, Emmett's dad."

Jaden exhaled loudly. "Thank goodness! I'm tired of poking."

I grinned at him. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

He pouted at me. "I'm not grumpy, Mr. Emmy, I'm hungry and I'm tired, but I'm not tired, but I'm bored, and I hurt, and I miss Miss Bella and I want to laugh at Mr. Jasper's cowboy voice again and let Miss Alice's baby kick me. I want..." he inhaled raggedly. "Mr. Emmy, would it be bad if I said that I wanted my mommy? I'm trying to be brave, but..."

Big tears began streaming down his face as he started to cry. Mom moved to his side immediately, climbing up onto the bed, and pulled him gently into her arms. Jaden's sobbing was tearing me apart and the fact that I don't know how to help him was really getting to me, so I left the room. My dad followed quickly behind me.

"You alright, son?"

I felt his hand on my shoulder, but shrugedg it off. "Fuck, no. I'm not. What am I going to do, Dad?"

"You'll do what you need to do, Son. I have every faith in you. There's a long, bumpy road ahead of this little boy, but I know that you and Rosalie can do this. Look, I've been in contact with Jenks and he thinks that if the social workers agree to it, we might be able to fast-track an adoption order. Since the child has no other living relatives who are able to care for him, and with your background as an elementary school teacher, you're an ideal parent for him. He's doing that he can on his end, and he'll let us know what we need to do, and believe me, son, we'll do EVERYTHING we can to help you with this.

"In the meantime, you need to help this little boy heal in the way that the doctors can't. You need to help heal his soul. You can't possibly do it alone, you're going to need to hand him over to the therapists and trust that they can help him with the PTSD he's likely going to develop."

I turned to Dad and let him hug me. I'm secure enough in my manliness to hug my old man, and there was no doubt that I was in serious need of fatherly love. "Are you really sure I can do this?"

"Yes, Son. If I've ever been sure of one thing, it's that you have the power to help people heal. Your love, tenacity, and compassionate nature are exactly what this little guy needs."

I hoped he was right.

"Financially, you know your mother and I are here for you. It's a good thing you ended up buying the house with four bedrooms. We'll help take care of getting a room set up for him. Has anyone brought his personal effects to the hospital yet?"

"No, nothing but his moose, thank God. You know how kids get when they don't have their favourite stuffed animal."

"Esme brought your old favourite quilt for him. She didn't think you'd mind, and she thought he might like having something that had been yours. That might help for the interim, but we need to get someone to get his toys and clothes from the house for him. It might make him feel better."

"I'll ask Zafrina to look into that. Thanks for coming, Dad."

We hugged again. "You know your mother and I will do anything we can, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks. We should probably get back in there."

Mom was just tucking my old quilt around Jaden when we walk back in.

"Mr. Emmy?"

"Yeah, little buddy?"

"I hope you're not mad, but your mommy is letting me use your old blankie since mine's not here. It's nice and soft, I like it a lot."

I took a seat beside him in my usual chair and gently ruffled his hair. "It's all good, Jaden. You can use it for as long as you need to. It's a good blanket. It used to keep the nightmares away for me when I was little."

"Mr. Emmy?"

"Yeah, little buddy?"

"Is it true that I'm going to live with you and Miss Rosie when the doctors stop poking at me and tell me I'm better?"

Taking his little hand in mine, I rubbed lightly, afraid of disengaging a tube or wire. "Yeah, it's true, but only if you want to. You don't have to; we can find another home for you to go to." I hoped that this wouldn't be the case. I couldn't let someone else take him.

He was quiet for a moment. "So, my mommy and daddy are really gone?"

I nodded against his hand.

The poor little guy took a deep breath before turning to open his poor little eye to look at me. "I'd like it very much, Mr. Emmy, if you and Miss Rosie would take me home."

_**Jaden**_

"Miss Alice, you're silly! Harry Potter isn't scary at all!"

"I don't know, Jaden, this story is kind of freaking me out a little bit. Are you sure it's not too old for you?" she said, looking at the book Miss Bella had brought for me.

Sometimes, even though I knew they were not trying to be annoying, grown-ups could really drive me nuts. Everyone was arguing over what was good for me, what wasn't good for me, and it was freaking me out more than the Dementors in the Harry Potter books. I hated being in the hospital and I just wanted to go home.

Home.

No, I don't want to go home. Home is where the bad stuff is. Home is where the blood is and the guns and the...no, no, don't cry again, Jaden. Be brave. Don't let Miss Alice see you cry again.

"Jaden, you okay, buddy?"

Ah, Mr. Jasper. He'll make things better. "Yeah, Mr. Jasper, I'm okay."

"You sound kind of sad today. Is Emmett making you crazy? You've been in the hospital for a few days now, are you getting tired of him?"

Mr. Jasper sat down on the end of my bed and reached out his hand to Miss Alice. They are in love and going to get married, and have a baby. I asked Miss Alice the other day if I could hold the baby when it comes, and she said that I could. I haven't had a baby to hold since Casey was little.

"No, Mr. Jasper, Mr. Emmy isn't making me too crazy. He's sleeping more at his house now, so his snoring isn't keeping me awake, and he's taking more baths now, so he doesn't stink. His house won't smell funny when I go there, will it?"

They both started to laugh. I'm not so sure that I told a joke or made a funny, but they sure thought it was hilarious. I was serious, though, I didn't want to live in a stinky house. I figured it couldn't be too bad if Miss Rosie lives there, because she ALWAYS smells nice; sometimes like flowers, but my favourite was when she smelled like peaches.

I was okay with going to live with Mr. Emmett and Miss Rosie if I couldn't live with my mommy. I had liked Mr. Emmett the first time I met him on the playground when I was little—when I was in grade one. A bunch of kids were picking on me because I was so small. I guess he saw it happening, so he came over and rescued me. He's always kind of been my hero ever since. I was SO happy when I was put in his grade two class that I could have danced, because I knew if the kids started picking on me again that he would stop them.

"Will I like Mr. Emmy's house?"

Miss Alice smiled and rubbed my hand. "Yes, Jaden. Esme, Rosie and I went to buy you all kinds of new things for your room, and when you get out of the hospital, we'll let you decorate it with all the things that you like."

"But, what about my old bed? My old toys? I want those. Why can't I have those?"

There was silence, and I knew from all my experience with grown-ups that silence isn't good.

"Miss Alice?"

"We are going to get as many of your old things as possible, but we weren't able to get your bed. If you don't like the one we picked out, you can pick out a new one. We thought maybe you'd like a bunk bed."

I opened my good eye wide. I ALWAYS wanted bunk beds, like always, always, ALWAYS wanted them. Mommy had said that maybe I could get bunk beds when I was older, but it never ever happened.

Mommy. My bed. The blood. Someone was screaming. Daddy was yelling and hitting me but he wasn't helping Mommy. I tried to help her but...I screamed and cried until Daddy put the gun to his head and...

_**Jasper**_

Jaden's eyes glazed over before they widened and he started to scream hysterically. I asked Alice to run and get a nurse while I tried to calm him down. Alice's frenetic and panicked energy wasn't helping him in the least.

I moved up to where Alice had been sitting with him, and I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could without hurting him, and sang quietly to him, while rocking him a bit. One of the nurses came running in and injected something into his IV. Within moments, his screams quieted down until they were nothing but whimpers and soft sobs.

"What happened?" she asked as she checked his vitals.

I looked up from Jaden, who was now out cold and only trembling mildly. "We were just talking about his new bedroom, and he was asking about his old furniture and he just sort of spaced out for a few minutes before he started screaming. I think he had a flashback. Is Zafrina around today? I think she should know. I also think the on-call therapist should be alerted. I can't believe no one has tried to talk to him about this—he's been in the hospital for almost a week!"

"I'll page her when I go back out to the nurse's station. Did you want me to call Emmett? He wanted to be alerted if anything happened."

Looking at my watch, I realized there's no point in calling him. "He'll likely be here any minute. We'll let him know what happened. There's no need to have him rushing here at breakneck speed and having him get into an accident. Jaden seems okay...for now."

Alice stood in the corner crying softly. I called her over and gave her a kiss. "It's alright, darlin', he's okay now."

"He scared me so bad, Jazzy. His eyes went blank and he just started screaming. I really hope he's going to be okay."

Jaden twitched a little in my arms, dropping his moose. Alice picked it up and placed it back in his hand. He instinctively grabbed it, moved it to his face, and smiled a little.

"He's just so sweet, Jasper. I don't understand how someone could do this."

"Well, darlin' I can't begin to understand what his father was going through to do this, and really that's not what matters right now. We need to get this little guy back on his feet and moving forward, help him get over his past, and move on. It's going to take a lot of work and love from all of us, but I think we can all do it."

Alice's face showed resolve and determination when she replied. "We need to make things better for him."

I smiled at my beautiful girl. "I have no doubt that we will."

* * *

**_I hope that wasn't too bad. Hell, I just hope you could read it, what with the technical glitches on ffn lately._**

**_As always, I love to hear what you're thinking, and Emmett loves that you'll all still loving him as much as you do._**

**_My fic rec this week: _**

**_Tomorrow is October 1st and the first day of the Countdown to Halloween II-One Haunted Hallows Eve. Over 30 authors (including me!) have contributed one-shots and each day you'll be treated to a new one. Each one will be lemony Halloweenie goodness._**

**_Yes, I said weenie._**

**_Anyway, check it out at http : / www DOT fanfiction DOT net/s/6326403/1/Countdown_to_Halloween_II_One_Haunted_Hallows_Eve (and don't forget to take out the spaces and the word DOT where applicable)_**

**_I didn't win the Hidden Star Award, but I wanted to thank everyone for voting. Seriously, just being nominated was great._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_I realize that you're all ready to kill me for that last teaser so I will be brief._**

**_Thanks to Minna and Katmom for everything they do and for allowing me to bask in their awesomeness. I forgot to thank Openhome last time for her help in finding information about foster homes, adoption, etc. She has been a great help._**

**_SM owns Twilight. I own a new Wii and this plot._**

**_This chapter rates _LOW_ on the _Schmitty Scale of Sobs..._I hope._**

**_

* * *

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_**Alice**_

"There it is, Alice."

I followed Dr. Butler's finger and stared at the screen. "Yup, there it is." My baby was there in black and white, moving around, and looking a lot bigger than the last time I'd seen its grainy image squiggling on the screen.

Looking down at my distended belly, I couldn't help but smile. My baby was growing and thriving and will be here in a couple of months. It's hard to believe that I'm going to be a mom and that Jasper is going to be a dad to the little creature on the screen.

"Have you and Jasper discussed finding out the sex of the baby prior to the birth? Do you both want to know?" he asked as he moved the wand around on my belly to get different view.

Had we discussed it? Hell yes, at great length since our last ultrasound. We were divided, though—I wanted to know and he was more reluctant. We had finally agreed that it would be best to know so we could donate the girlie baby clothes Bella had given us to charity and start stocking up on boy clothes if it was, in fact, a little Jasper doing cartwheels in my womb.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry I'm late!" Bella panted as she ran to my side, out of breath.

"It's okay. Dr. Butler was just about to tell me the sex of the baby." I smiled up at her as I reached for her hand.

"Are you sure that you don't want Jasper here for this?" she asked.

"He couldn't get out of work, since he's subbing for Emmett, and Dr. Butler didn't have any evenings available. Jazz is okay with it; we discussed it ad nauseum and he's cool with you being here with me instead. So, Dr. Butler, will the nursery be pink or blue?"

Bella squeezed my hand harder as she leaned forward to see the screen.

"Well, if we can…" Dr. Butler moved the transducer across my over-gelled belly, "…get the baby to…move…"

We were all holding our breath as the baby finally rolled over and I couldn't believe it; it was as if she knew we wanted to see her.

Yes, I said SHE!

"Oh, Alice, it's a girl," Bella whispered emotionally. "Look at her."

I found it impossible to keep the shit-eating grin off my face. I would have been happy either way, but I always fantasized about my first child being a girl.

"Guess we'll be keeping the clothes after all, Bella."

My best friend turned to me, smiling widely as a big tear tracked slowly down her cheek. "I'm so happy for you, Ali. She's going to be beautiful."

The doctor printed off some photos, then cleaned off the goop. "Alright, Alice, she's looking great. I'll see you in three weeks unless you run into problems. Bella," he turned to her, "always a pleasure."

"Thanks, Dr. Butler."

Bella and I sat there staring at the photos of my daughter.

MY DAUGHTER!

"Holy shit, Bells, I was excited before, but now? Now I'm ecstatic! It's so much more real now that I know it's a she in there." I rubbed my bump. "You hear that, Sunnybubbles? I don't have to call you an IT anymore. You're my little girl."

I felt the familiar build-up of emotions filling me until my throat ached and my eyes burned. Before I knew it, Bella was hugging me as I cried.

"Those better be happy tears, Ali."

"Yup-happy and hormonal."

Bella's laugh at my response sent vibrations though my body, sending the baby into a flutter of kicking. "That's my girl. So, Alice, I have…um…a question."

"Shoot."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Sunnybubbles?"

It was my turn to laugh. "That's Jaden's doing."

"Really?" Bella asked, as she helped me down from the table.

"Yeah, we were talking to the baby the other day and he started calling her Sunnybubbles. I thought it was cute and it kind of stuck. It's better than Bump, which is what Jazz and I have been calling her. Oh, shit!" I smacked myself in the forehead with my palm. "We need to go tell him right away that Sunnybubbles is a girl. I promised to stop by after my appointment. I thought maybe I could tell everyone then—you could try to get Edward on the phone, Esme can call Carlisle and hopefully Skype is up and running so I can see Jazzy's reaction on screen when I tell him."

Jaden had completely stolen my heart. That sweet little boy charmed me immediately and his excitement over my baby was adorable. To help with his reading, Emmett had asked him to read to the baby, which he gladly did at least twice a day. The baby really seemed to enjoy it too.

Bella grabbed my hand, leading me out of the room and down the hall toward the exit.

"In a hurry, Bella?"

"No, maybe, I'm…I'm just dying to see everyone's reaction when you tell them. I think they could all use some good news today."

I stopped suddenly, effectively jerking my best friend to a halt. "Wait, what's wrong? Why do they need good news today? Is Jaden okay?"

Bella frowned. "A few legal snags came up today. I'm sure Jenks can iron it out, but it's shaken everyone up."

"Why? How? What happened?"

Bella turned her eyes away from me and sighed. "Let's get a tea, Ali, I'll explain it."

_**Bella**_

I didn't have the heart to tell Alice why I was late for her appointment and I had hoped it wouldn't come up until much later, but of course I had to let something slip, and I suppose it's probably for the better that she knows before we get there.

I grabbed a couple of herbal teas and some cookies from the coffee shop and met Alice at a table. Thankfully, she had chosen one set away from the others.

Her eyebrows crinkled together as she pursed her lips to blow on her steaming hot tea. I had chosen a nice mild cranberry for her and a jasmine for me and I was kind of wishing I had taken a cranberry one because hers smelled divine.

"So?"

"Well," I started with a sigh, "so, Jaden's grandparents have signed off on Em and Rosie having guardianship, and the judge granted them a temporary order. Right? Okay, well, Zafrina has informed them that there is still a chance that Jaden will have to go into foster care if they can't get all the red tape dealt with before he's released from the hospital."

Alice's reaction was exactly as I predicted it would be—emotional. "Oh, Bella," she sobbed quietly, "he can't go into foster care! What if someone takes him away? Em and Rosie will be devastated, not to mention Jaden will be scared. Isn't there something we can do? I thought the guardianship orders were binding?"

I reached out instinctively to help as she fumbled with the napkin dispenser. After I managed to free two or three of the sandpaper-rough excuses for tissues, I handed them to her and watched as she wiped her eyes.

"It'll be okay, Ali. The temporary order is just that, _temporary, _as in, not permanent. Someone could decide tomorrow that he might be better off living with someone else. As I mentioned, though, Jenks is working on it and I trust him. Carlisle and Esme are both pledging to pay whatever fees it takes to expedite the process. Hell, Carlisle is ready to build a new group home for the State if it means they'll speed this up. The problem," I paused to sip at my tea, "is that if Jaden is ready to be released early, then the social workers won't have time to conduct the home study, and Em and Rose won't have a chance to take the required classes. They have been so preoccupied with looking after him here at the hospital, that everything else has been put on hold. They need to get their shit together and get this dealt with now. We need to step up as best we can and fill in so they can get this done." I paused to take a sip of my tea, almost afraid to say the next bit, because I knew Alice wouldn't be happy. "There's also the little problem of Rose and Em not being married."

Alice sputtered, "That's not supposed to be an issue! I read the adoption pamphlet!"

"All I know is that Zafrina mentioned that it might hold things up a bit," I replied, shrugging, "I don't think that we should worry too much right now. Dr. Singh said that he wants to keep Jaden under medical care for at least another week or two, depending on how he's doing. With the setbacks he keeps having, it's really holding him back. He might be better off staying under medical care until he gets the night-terrors under control too."

"Does Jaden know all of this?"

"No, there's no need to get him upset over something that may never be an issue."

We drank our tea and picked at our cookies in silence for a few minutes. I observed Alice and knew immediately that she was working through everything in her head, trying to find a solution to fix this problem.

How very Alice of her. Over the years, I'd come to love the fact that Alice needs to fix everything and everyone—even if she ends up making things worse. Case in point—Adam. She nearly destroyed our friendship when she insisted that Adam was perfect for me. We all know how that ended up—Ali and I gave each other the silent treatment and Edward developed a keen hatred of Adam.

Thankfully, everything had been resolved over time; Edward and Adam had bonded over the attack on me at Halloween. Adam saved the day when the attacker beat the shit out of Edward.

The trial…I shuddered at the thought.

"Bella? Are you okay? You spaced out on me," Alice asked, snapping me out of my disturbing thoughts.

I pasted on a fake smile. "Yup, sorry, I was lost in thought. Are you ready to go see Jaden?"

Alice smiled back, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

"Really, Ali, I'm fine. I promised everyone that I would be honest with you about seizures, blackouts, blah blah blah. I just got distracted for a minute." I crossed my heart. "I swear! Now, are you ready to go see everyone's favourite little guy?"

Even seven months pregnant and prone to bouts of exhaustion, my sweet Alice was still fast on her feet, and before I knew it, she had discarded our trays and was dragging me out the door.

Jaden's room was full of bodies when we arrived, as it always was. He's a popular little guy. When Esme tried to leave, Alice asked her to stay.

"Bella, can you get Edward on the phone? Esme, can you call Carlisle? Emmett, are you hooked up to the classroom on Skype?"

Emmett smiled, turning the laptop around to show Alice, while Esme and I reluctantly turned on our cell phones, much against hospital rules, to get a hold of our men. Carlisle was in surgery, but Edward was between classes, so I put him on speakerphone.

"Jazzy, are you there? Can you hear me?" Alice called out as she switched the headset for the speakers, testing the microphone.

"Loud and clear, darling. So, what kind of bun are we baking in your oven? A pink one or a blue one?"

Jaden burst out laughing. "Mr. Jasper, she's not baking buns in her belly, she's making a baby! Little baby Sunnybubbles."

Everyone laughed as Alice situated herself on the bed beside Jaden, who promptly leaned over to kiss her belly and whisper something.

"Okay, can everyone hear me? Edward, are you there?"

"Yup," Edward called out faintly from the speaker on my phone.

Esme's phone rang just then, and she smiled as she flipped it open. "Carlisle? Oh, good. Alice has news. I'm putting you on speaker." She pushed a button and we could hear him saying hello.

"Hi, Doc Carlisle! I miss you!" Jaden shouted out.

Carlisle's chuckle was faint, but we all heard it. "I miss you too. Now, Alice, what's your big news?"

Jasper spoke up. "Hurry, darlin', the kids will be back from recess any minute."

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Jasper and I are going to be the proud parents of…"

Everyone was hanging on her words, groaning when she paused.

"Please, Miss Alice! What is Sunnybubbles? I can't wait any longer, you're making me craaaaaazy."

Alice was beaming as she made her announcement. "Sunnybubbles is a GIRL!"

The entire room erupted into cheers and tears, even poor Jasper, who quickly wiped away the wetness on his cheeks as his students returned noisily to the classroom. "Oh, darlin' I'm so happy right now! I can't wait to see you after school. I gotta go. I love you.

"Oh, Jaden, we're going to do math now, so you might want to get Mr. Emmett to grab your workbook for you."

No one but Alice, Jaden and I were paying attention until Jasper whistled loudly. "Hey! I have kids to teach, including Jaden, so could you move it out into the hall?"

Alice blew a kiss at him and whispered that she loves him before unplugging the speakers and setting Jaden up with the headset again.

"Em, I'll sit with Jaden if you guys want to go grab a coffee and talk," I offered, looking forward to a chance to sit and relax with my favourite little guy for a while.

"Um, hello?" Edward's voice called from my phone.

Shit! I almost dropped the phone as I scrambled to hold it up. "Oh, Edward! Baby, I'm sorry. We got caught up in the moment. I need to help Jaden with his math, but I'll talk to you soon. You're picking me up after class, right?"

"Yes, love, I'll be there at supper time. Alice, congratulations! Bella, I love you."

"Bye, baby."

Everyone filed out of the room as I settled in to help Jaden with his math. Skype had been a godsend because Emmett and Jaden could interact with the class AND Jaden wasn't missing out on too much school. He would likely be able to pass on to the third grade with the rest of his class even if he doesn't make it back to school this year. With only a month left, it's likely he'll be homeschooled and return in the fall.

"Miss Bella?" he said quietly, not wanting to interrupt Jasper's lesson.

"Hm? Yes, sweetie?"

"I'm thirsty and I dropped my pencil. Can you help? Please?" He held up his casted left arm and his right one, which was still attached to an IV.

"Sure. Here's your pencil, and I'll go get some fresh water."

"Can I have a blue straw today?" he whispered.

"I'll do what I can. Be right back. You pay attention to Mr. Jasper's lesson, okay?"

He smiled at me before turning his attention back to the laptop.

I spotted Maria at the nurse's station. "Hi, Maria. Do you guys have any _blue_ straws around here?"

"So he's feeling blue today? Yesterday it was yellow."

Maria handed me a straw as I passed by to grab some fresh ice water from the kitchenette behind the nurses' station. "Bella? Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure," I turned around to face her.

"How did you find Jaden today?"

Hmm…I thought back over the time I had spent with him. "Well, he was quiet earlier this morning, but he was excited just now when Alice announced the sex of her baby. Why?"

"I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but he seems off today, he's not his usual spunky self, and I'm trying to figure out if it's because he's not feeling well physically, or if it's an emotional thing. I mean, he's been here for over a week now, and I feel like I know him pretty good, but there's just something…"

"MISSSSS BELLLLLLLAAAAAAAA!"

Crap. Jaden was yelling. Maria and I both ran to his room and found him crying and thrashing around, hitting himself in the head. I sat on the bed and cradled him to me the best I could. "What's wrong, little guy? What happened when I was gone? Are you hurt?"

"I'm stupid. I'm dumb! I got the question wrong and I dropped my pencil again and I couldn't pick it up and…" his words were garbled nonsense after that.

"Call Emmett, Maria. Please?" I asked her as I tried to calm him down. I also closed the laptop, effectively cutting the connection to his class. They didn't need to hear this.

"I'm…s…sorry," he said, taking a couple of stuttered breaths, "M…m…m…miss…Bella. I'll try…" He stopped speaking when he erupted into a fresh round of gut-wrenching sobs. I held him tighter, singing to him, hoping to calm him down.

Emmett ran back in, breathless as he looked frantically at us. He rushed to the bed and rubbed the little boy's back.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" Emmett asked in a quiet, soothing tone. The little boy almost instantly began to relax a little.

I gestured for him to take my spot on the bed, and as soon as I pried the little guy off of me, he began to wail even harder. As soon as Emmett took my place, he wrapped his arms around Em, and his cries became whimpers.

"Emmett, I spoke with the doctor and he wants me to sedate him," Maria announced as she approached the bed.

"Is that necessary?"

"He's almost pulled out his IV and he could dislodge the drain in his abdomen. I won't put him all the way under, just enough to help calm him down so we can fix this."

Em sighed heavily and I felt badly for both of them at that moment. Jaden had made it clear that he didn't like the _fuzzy needles_, but Maria was right; the IV line dangled precariously, and there was blood on his sheets.

Emmett whispered something to Jaden, then nodded at Maria. The poor little boy was trying so hard to be brave and to hang on, but I think it was evident to him that this was a battle he wouldn't win.

"Get some sleep, buddy. I'll be here when you wake up."

Jaden's response was but a hoarse whisper, "Promise?"

"Yes. Now close your eyes and relax for a while so Miss Maria can fix you up."

"Okay."

_**Emmett**_

"What happened?"

Bella's bottom lip trembled slightly as she leaned over to push some hair out of Jaden's face. "He was fine, just sitting here listening to Jasper's math lesson when I left to get him a drink. Maria stopped to ask me a question and the next thing I know, he's yelling and crying."

I gestured to the chair by the bed. "Sit, Baby Girl, you look tired." Although I knew it was rule number one that we are not to point out when she looks tired, she didn't fight me on it. She was pale; her eyes were red and the dark circles underneath were deepening. "You need to rest; you look like shit and I'd hate for you to have a seizure or a blackout on my watch. Eddie'd have my balls."

She gave me a weak grin. "Thanks so much, Em; that made me feel a MILLION times better. I'd punch you in your junk if you weren't right. I AM tired."

I looked down at Jaden and sighed. Maybe I couldn't be who he needed, maybe I'm getting in over my head here.

"Em, stop," Bella said quiet but firmly. "I know what you're thinking and you need to stop NOW. You are doing the right thing, Brother Bear. You are exactly who he needs but it's not going to be easy."

"Really? Do you really think so? Can you look me in the eye and truly say that?"

Bella smiled widely at me, nodding her head. "I can. I do."

"How do you know?"

"Because you saved ME, Emmett."

I moved away from the bed, walking over to lean against the window to mull things over. "Bella, I didn't save you. I just annoyed the hell out of you until you could yell coherently at me and get out of your wheelchair to kick my ass. You were also ten years older than he is, and you didn't witness the murder of your mother and watch your father blow his head off. This is different."

An arm wrapped around my waist as she ducked under my arms so she was facing me. "No, but like him I lost my entire family and Edward. I spent a long time healing, just like he will have to do, but unlike him; I hid away from it and suffered for five years. If he can deal with this now then he has a great chance of leading a wonderful and healthy life."

"How do you know that I'm the right person to do this?"

She tightened her grip on me. "How do I know? I know because you have the biggest heart of anyone that I know and you have a lot of patience. He's going to need time to heal physically and emotionally, Em, and I'm confident that you and Rosie are the perfect people to do this. I hope you know that we're only ever given what we can handle."

I had to laugh. "Been going to church with Mom and Dad, Baby Girl?"

"It's not a God thing, Em, it's a spiritual thing. I've been doing some soul searching these past few months. I truly do believe that whether we like it or not, things happen for a reason, and usually at a time when we aren't sure we can handle it, but in the end we find that we had all the tools we needed all along. I really don't think that this was a fluke; Jaden needs you and I think that deep down you need him."

Goddamn it, my eyes started stinging and I sure as hell didn't want to start bawling again.

"Go splash some water on your face, Em. I'll stay with him. Edward should be here any time now."

My Bella. God, I love her. She always knew what to say or do without making me feel like an ass.

I returned her hug. "Thanks. I'll be right back."

After checking to see if Jaden was okay, I left his room to go to the parents' lounge washroom to wash up. There was another man in there who was looking just as miserable as I felt. He nodded at me and that simple gesture spoke volumes-he and I were in similar places and he understood, in some capacity, what I was going through.

Standing beside him, I ran the water in the sink until it was good and cold before splashing it on my face. The shock of the cold water snapped something in me and before I was able to stop it, I was sobbing my guts out as I leaned my forehead on the countertop.

The water turned off and I allowed myself to be led away from the sink. The man beside me pointed to a bench by the showers where we took a seat. When I was finally done making an ass of myself in front of this stranger, which I totally did—I mean, I was bawling like a little girl-he handed me a towel and smiled sadly at me.

"You okay?"

I sniffled. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry about that, buddy." I reached my hand out. "I'm Emmett."

"Hi Emmett, I'm Peter. My daughter Lily is a couple of doors down from your son. I've seen you and your family here a lot over the past week."

"He's not my son—yet. Someday, hopefully."

Peter looked confused, so I just shook my head. "Long story."

He stood up and I watched as he left the room, but he quickly returned with a couple bottles of water. "Here, take this. So, is the little guy going to be okay?"

The cold water slid down my parched throat and I felt instant relief. Tipping the bottle slightly in his direction, I thanked him before draining it.

"Yeah, I think he'll survive. If we can keep the complications to a minimum then I think he'll pull through. What about your Lily?"

Peter sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. "I don't know. She's been in a coma for weeks and they don't know if she'll ever come out of it."

"What happened—that is, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Lily was riding her bike when she was hit by a car. She was wearing her helmet, but the impact was hard enough that it split in half."

"Closed head injury?" I asked, curious.

My new friend nodded before looking at me, confused again. "How…? Are you a doctor?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Hell no, Pete, I'm a second grade teacher. I have some experience with head injuries, though. My brother's girlfriend, Bella, was in a coma and spent months in the hospital and in rehab. They weren't sure she was going to make it either, but she did. You should talk to her—she's actually here right now sitting with Jaden. You can ask her pretty much anything. Hell, you can ask any of us about it."

"You really think she'll want to talk about this?"

"Yup, I'm sure of it. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Peter and I walked back to Jaden's room where we found Bella reading to him quietly. Jaden still seemed pretty out of it, and yet he looked over at me. "Hi, Mmmmmmr. Emmett…I'm ssssorry."

I put up my hand. "There's nothing to apologize for, little buddy. Bella and Jaden, this is Peter. His little girl Lily is just down the hall."

Bella waved, smiling at us while Jaden grinned lazily as he spoke. Poor little guy sounded drunk as a skunk. "Hi, Mr. Peterrrr. Ish Lily shick like me?"

"You'll have to excuse the little guy, he was sedated not long ago, he's still a little out of it," I whispered to Peter.

Peter smiled sadly at Jaden. "Sort of. Lily had an accident and hit her head pretty hard. She's been sleeping for a while so her brain can get better. I'm waiting for her to wake up."

"Ish her brain bruised like Mish Bella's washhh when Emma died…?" he stopped speaking and frowned, then raised his right hand to his mouth. "Oh no! I'm shorry Miss Bella, I didn't mean to…"

Bella hugged him, unfazed by what he had said. "There's nothing to be sorry about, sweetie. You're right, though, I did bruise my brain in the accident when Emma died. Would you mind if I go talk with Mr. Peter for a few minutes? You and Emmett can keep reading while you wait for Mr. Edward to get here."

Jaden pouted. "Don't be too loooong or Mr. Edward will get ssssssssad eyesh and scrunchy eyebrowsh."

Bella and I laughed so loudly that we startled poor Jaden and Peter.

"You called that one right, Jaden. Mr. Edward does get all scrunchy doesn't he?" I said, running my hand across the top of his head, messing up his already messy hair.

The little guy scrunched up his bruised face as best he could. "He looksh like thish."

All three adults in the room laughed again and it seemed to egg the little ham on. Bella kissed him on the forehead before leaving the room with Peter.

Jaden held up the book they had been reading. "Mishter Emmett, can we keep going pleash? It's getting to the gooooood part."

I sat on the bed and picked up the book. "Sweet! _Prisoner of Azkaban_! Are you sure the Dementors aren't too scary?"

"No, Mr. Emmett, I've sheen shcarier thingsh in real life, so I thinks I can handle it." He poked my ribs. "Can YOUUUUUUU handle it?"

I smiled down at him. "I think so."

He waved Chocolate in front of me. "You can hold him jusht in cashe."

"Thanks, little buddy."

He nudged the book. "Read!"

* * *

_**So, Sunnybubbles is a girl. I'm looking for name suggestions if anyone wants to add their two cents. I would love to hear what names you come up with.**_

**_It's October and that means it's time for the Halloween Countdown! 31 days of spooktacular sexy shenanigans can be yours if you want to join in on the fun. There are a  
shit-ton of great fanfic authors taking part and so far the one-shots have been fanfreakingtastic. So go check it out.  
http : / / www . fanfiction . net / s / 6326403 / 1 / bCountdown_b_to_bHalloween_b_II_One_Haunted_Hallows_Eve  
(don't forget to take out the spaces) _**

**_I'm also taking part in the _Fandom for Preemies_ fundraiser and am working on a companion piece to Road Maps. I know I said I would someday post a third part of that story, and I'm not giving up on it. The piece I write for FFP will go with that third installation when I get the time to write it. :) You can find out more information on this wonderful fundraiser here: www . fandomforpreemies . blogspot . com_**

**_You can find me on the Twittah leelan_oleander_**

**_HUGE thank you to each one of you for loving this story and for caring about a non-canon character like Jaden. You guys never cease to amaze and make me get all weepy._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Is it Thursday already? Man, time flies when you're stuffed with turkey. _**

**_I'll be brief...Katmom and Minna still rule, SM still owns Twilight, and I have a persistent kitty who is chewing on my toes so I'll give him a treat._**

**_This is all Edward and Bella POV for those who were missing them, and I'm pretty sure this rates low on the Schmitty Scale of Sob._**

**_

* * *

_**

_**Edward**_

Bella wasn't in Jaden's room when I arrived to pick her up, but I did find Em and the little guy cuddled together, fast asleep. I surmised that they had fallen asleep while reading because there was a Harry Potter book on the bed and Emmett was snuggling with Chocolate.

This was a Kodak moment if I had ever seen one, so I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of them. Okay, I took about a dozen—it was just too cute to pass up.

Emmett mumbled something about _douchebag Dementors_ and I had to laugh. Jaden opened an eye, squinting in my direction. "Sh, Mr. Edward, Mr. Emmett is sleeeeeping quietly."

I mimed buttoning my lips as I moved over to sit in the chair by Jaden's side of the bed. "Where's Miss Bella, buddy?"

He giggled quietly as he scrunched up his eyebrows. "Miss Bella is with Mr. Peter because his little girl Lily hit her head and is sleeping a lot so Miss Bella went to talk to him about bruised brains."

"Oh…okay?" Yeah, I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You've got your scrunchy face on, Mr. Edward. Miss Bella is okay; she'll come back. Don't be sad."

Scrunchy face? What the…?

Bella called my name quietly from the door. "I'll just be a couple minutes, okay?"

I turned around in my seat to look at my girl and was shocked by the sight of her. Shit, she looked exhausted. "Yeah, love, I'll be here with Jaden."

When she blew me a kiss, Jaden giggled again. "Mr. Edward, I think Miss Bella loves us."

My God, could this kid get any cuter? I wondered if Emma would have been as big of a heartbreaker as he is.

"Yeah, buddy, I think she does."

He smiled and hummed. "I love her too. She reads to me, and gets me blue straws, and sings to me when I'm sad. Music makes me happier. Mr. Emmett said that you play piano. Can you show me someday?"

"I'll teach you how to play if you want," I offered. I mean, hell, if he's going to be family, I might as well cultivate his love of music. "I play guitar, ukulele and drums too."

I watched as Jaden's eyes grow huge. "Really? That's so cool! Are you a rock star, Mr. Edward?"

"No, but he wishes he that was," Emmett mumbled sleepily. "He mostly plays classical music."

"Really? I like that music too! My mommy likes to play it when we bake cookies. Will you play for me?"

I was a little taken aback by how he spoke of his mother in the present, and how he did it so easily. There was no hesitation, no tears, no catch in his voice—nothing. It seemed a little soon for him to be speaking so freely about her, but then again, I'm a music education major, not a child psychologist; what do I know?

"I sure will. Would you like me to put some music on an iPod for you so you can listen while you're in the hospital?"

He let out a big yawn before nodding. "Please? I'm kind of sleepy. Can I go back to sleep, please?"

Emmett pulled up his old childhood blanket so that it was up around Jaden's chin. "Go right ahead, kiddo. Me and Mr. Edward are going to sit by the window and talk so we don't wake you up."

I watched as his little hand shot out to stop Emmett. "No, please stay. I'll sleep, I promise."

"Alright," my brother said to him, worry etched on his face. "I'll be here."

Something was wrong, but then again, it was easy to understand why he wouldn't want to be left alone.

"Thank you." Jaden pulled Chocolate up to his nose and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep.

"Did the therapist stop by?"

"She's coming in about an hour, why?"

"He's…I don't know. He's not quite right. He can speak about his mother as if nothing happened but he can't be alone. There are some definite issues."

"No shit, Sherlock," my brother spat at me, "how's he supposed to act? How would you act if you saw what he did? If you lost everything? Oh wait, you ran, didn't you? Well, he can't get out of bed to run away, so you tell me how he's supposed to react?"

"EMMETT!" Bella hissed from the doorway. I barely registered her entrance because I was both floored and hurt by my brother's words. "Don't you dare speak to him like that!"

I stood and walked toward her. "Let's just go, Bella. Em's upset and I'm not making it easier on him." I didn't want this to escalate any further and I really needed to get Bella home before she keeled over. "Please, Bella. I want to go home."

She looked me deep in the eyes and after a moment, she agreed. "Home sounds good."

"Edward?"

"What, Em?" I turned us so we were facing my brother. He looked miserable.

"I'm sorry, little brother, I didn't mean it."

I shrugged—a sad attempt at feigning nonchalance. "No apologies necessary; you meant every word of it and it wasn't a lie. You just call 'em like you see 'em. Call if you need us, okay?"

"Edward?"

"What, Em?"

He fist-bumped his chest at me, and I nodded back at him. "Love you too, bro."

Bella and I walked silently out to the car, my arm wrapped around her waist as both a means of support for her physically, and for me emotionally. I tried to push it behind me, at least until we got home, and then I would deal with the hurt my brother's words had inflicted upon my heart.

On our ride home, she spoke very briefly about Peter and Lily, but fell asleep mid-conversation. I carried her into the house and put her to bed before heading out to the kitchen to get started on dinner. It wasn't until I had dinner underway that I allow myself a moment to feel the sting of Em's words.

I knew he was hurting over Jaden and he normally wouldn't bring up something like that, but it still stung a bit. That part of my life will haunt me until the day I die and he knows that it's my weak spot.

Fred nudged my leg before letting out a squeaky meow. I checked that the food would be okay for a minute before bending over to pick him up. His body vibrated with purrs as he head-butted me. "Hey, dude, how was your day? Did you get a lot of sleep, huh? Will you be running around keeping us up all night?"

There's just something incredibly soothing about cuddling a purring cat, and before long, I was feeling a lot better. "Thanks, Fred dude. I owe you one."

He scrunched up his furry orange face, almost grinning at me. Oh yeah, he was definitely going to make me pay.

My phone vibrated on the countertop, so I put down the cat and grabbed it before it could go to voicemail. I saw Mom's smiling face staring back at me from the LCD screen. "Hi, Mom."

"Sweetie, can you shed some light on why I found your brother crying when I arrived at the hospital? Jaden mumbled something about you and Bella having been there, but he was half-asleep and not making much sense. Emmett is rambling on about being an asshole, which is NOT appropriate language for him to be using around a child.

"Did you two have a fight?"

I shouldered the phone as I washed my hands. "Mom, it's nothing."

"Edward Anthony! It's not nothing. What happened?"

"Can you hang on for a second, Mom?" I set the phone down so I could finish washing and drying my hands. I gave the vegetables a quick check and pulled them out of the steamer. "Sorry, I'm in the middle of making dinner."

"Want to call me later?"

I turned the heat off the chicken breasts, and made my way toward the patio doors. "No, it's pretty much done. I'm just going to go out on the deck; I don't want to wake Bella."

"How is she?"

"Exhausted." I quietly closed the patio doors and moved to sit.

"You sound tired too, sweetie. So, are you going to tell me what happened or not?"

Chuckling, I began picking at the weeds in a nearby planter. "Way to cut to the chase, Mom. I don't know exactly what happened. I mean, I asked if Jaden had seen the therapist yet and made a comment about how he seemed to be disconnected from some things and not others. Em…well, he spazzed out on me, said that unlike me, Jaden couldn't just run away from everything."

"And?"

I paused, not wanting to continue this conversation because it would likely upset Mom. "Bella walked in and got mad at him for saying what he said and we left."

"Is that all?"

I ran my now-muddy hand through my hair and didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late. I shook my head and potting soil flew out of it. "Fuck."

Mom sighed, exasperated. "Language, Edward. I swear that people are going to think that I raised a couple of cavemen. So, what else happened?"

"He apologized, I accepted, and we left. That's it."

"Really? Were you upset?"

I kicked at a stone on the wood decking. "What do you think, Mom? Of course it hurt and I was upset, but I'm not mad at him. He's going through a lot right now and he's bound to lash out. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. It's the least I can do."

"Edward?" Bella called out from inside the house.

"Mom, Bella's awake. I need to go put dinner on the table. You're more than welcome to join us if you want."

"Thanks, sweetheart, but Rosie and I had a bite to eat before we came to the hospital. Go feed our girl and call me later. I love you."

I stood and waved at Bella as I said goodbye to my mother. "I love you too, Mom. Tell Emmett to chill out and say hi to Rose and Jaden for me."

"I will. Bye, sweetie."

Bella opened the screen door, looking at me worriedly. "Who was that? Is everything okay? You look stressed out."

I moved inside and pulled her into a hug. "Mm…I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward, but seriously, what's going on?"

"Let's talk over dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm famished."

I served dinner and was thankful when we had a few moments of peace while we ate. Maybe peace isn't the best word to use, because my mind was anything but peaceful. I picked at my chicken and thought about what Emmett had said at the hospital.

"The fiddleheads are perfect, baby. Where did you find them?"

I looked at the young, green ferns all curled up into themselves and thought of poor Jaden.

"Edward?" Bella snapped her fingers at me. "Earth to Edward, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm just lost in thought. I went to the market this morning to pick up some fish for tomorrow's dinner and someone mentioned one of the vendors had some. I rushed over and bought the last two pounds. I wish I had been able to buy more and freeze them."

Bella moaned and it made me smile. "Mm, they're wonderful. The chicken is tasty too. I love your honey mustard chicken. So," she paused to take another bite of chicken, "who was on the phone?"

What is it about the women in my life cutting to the chase so harshly? Let's not ease Edward into the conversation, let's throw him right in to the lions. "It was Mom. Em's pretty upset about this afternoon."

"Of course he is. He was out of line and he knows it," she replied bluntly, as she dipped a fiddlehead into a pool of butter on her plate. "He's feeling like an ass because he acted like one."

I set my fork down on my plate and sighed heavily. "He's upset, Bella, he's out of his league, he's scared, and he's bound to lash out. I put him through so much over the years that I owe it to him to take it and let him get it off his chest. Yes, it hurts, but if it helps him, he can lash out as much as he wants."

Bella exhaled loudly. "You Cullen men and your overdramatic stubborn pride. Ugh. Stop playing the martyr, Edward."

If I thought Emmett's words hurt, Bella's were excruciating. This was not a battle I was prepared to fight at that moment, so I was going to let it slide. Breathe, Edward, keep your cool. After a few breaths, I picked up my fork and resumed eating. "So, how was Jaden today?"

"He's…he needs a lot of therapy and he needs it soon. You weren't off-base with what you said to Emmett. I know Zafrina assessed him, but I'm disgusted that they haven't sent anyone else in to work with him before now."

She dropped her fork onto her plate and pushed it away. "He can't be left alone at all or he panics. I left him for two seconds and he freaked out. It couldn't have been just because he was alone, though, because he was Skyping with his class when it happened. He said something about getting an answer wrong, at least I think that's what happened, and he started screaming and crying that he was stupid. He was inconsolable; they had to sedate him because he pulled out his IV and they worried that he'd pull out the drain in his abdomen."

Bella put her head down on the table and began to cry. "We all want so badly to save him, but I don't know that we're prepared."

"We?" I cocked an eyebrow at her. "He's not our child, Bella."

She sat up, grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes as she spoke. "Not by blood, Edward, but he might very well become our nephew and we're family—he belongs to all of us now; we all need to help him heal."

I left the table under the guise of taking the dishes to the kitchen, but really, I just needed a moment to cool down. There were so many emotions and thoughts rushing through my mind that it was hard to think straight anymore. Bella's outburst added to it all.

Why was I so angry that she feels so possessive of this child? That she wants to invest so much time and love in him? I mean, I adored him and I hoped he could be part of the Cullen clan, but he's not our child and she can't expect him to play that role. He will be Emmett and Rose's responsibility, not ours. She won't have another child with me right now, but she'll take him on…it makes no sense.

"Edward? Are you okay?" Bella asked quietly from behind me.

"Yeah, I'm just…thinking."

"Why don't you go play for a while and let me do the clean up. Work some of it out in your music. I have some work to do tonight as well, so I'll likely join you later."

I turned and held my arms out to her. She walked over and melted into me. I love her so much, I would do anything for her, but there are just some times when I don't understand her. I held her to me tightly, hoping to find the answers I was looking for, but instead of answers, she gave me love, and that would have to do for now. Her warmth and closeness comforted me, and I smiled against her forehead before planting a gentle kiss.

"I love you, Bella."

Even when I'm frustrated with her, her smile against my chest was a balm to my aching heart.

"I love you too, Edward. So very much. And as much as I would love to hold you until morning, you're too tense and broody, so go hit the ivories for a while, okay?"

After a brief kiss, we parted ways and I walked to my inner sanctum.

As soon as Alice and Jasper moved out, Bella and I had turned their room into the guest room and the guest room into my studio/Bella's office. I couldn't wait to get my piano set up in there and much to Bella's annoyance, I went to work right away on it, even before we sorted out the rest of the house.

So far, after only about a month of co-habitation, things really seemed to be working out. She loved to write while I played, and we had spent many hours creating in that space together. With classes winding down for the semester, I'd spent more time working in my studio than I had doing anything else.

The smooth bench called to me the moment I entered the room, so I sat and stared at the black and white keys, begging them to tell me what to play. Their initial silence was agonizing, so I flexed my fingers, cracked some knuckles and began warming up with some scales, hoping the runs up and down the keys would inspire something else.

I had been playing for about fifteen minutes and something was starting to take shape. I stopped for a moment, booted up my computer and set up the mic for recording. I had an original composition to write for one of my finals and there was something missing in what I had so far. Maybe tonight would be the night when things finally came together.

As soon as everything was ready, I hit record and began to play in earnest.

_**Bella**_

By the sound of Edward's playing, he was working through some serious shit. It started off gentle and soothing, but he was now pounding out something much more dark and menacing.

I was tempted to believe that Emmett's words hurt him deeper than he cared to admit, but there was something else—during dinner, he almost seemed angry with me when I referred to Jaden as belonging to all of us. Maybe I touched a nerve? After a moment of reflection I knew I touched a nerve.

Things had been tense lately, there's no doubt about it. I couldn't blame it on the Jaden situation either, because this started before that. As much as I hated to admit it, I was pretty sure that it was my fault. Edward REALLY wanted to try for another child and I was reluctant to do so right now. Watching Alice and Jasper going through all the exciting (and not-so-exciting) things involved with pregnancy had, well, gotten to him.

He'd never admit it, though. He was likely afraid that people will think poorly of him, which they very well might, but he's not alone. There's a part of me that wished it was me with the cravings, swollen feet, and stretch marks, but at the same time, I know it's not feasible right now. Maybe in a few months, maybe in a few years, who knows?

We've discussed it in therapy and neither of our therapists are very keen on us getting pregnant right away. We're ALL concerned that Edward wants this to fill a void he still has, and that was far from a healthy reason to have a child.

Don't get me wrong, I still had that same hole in my heart, and that's why I wanted to wait a while. I needed to be sure that I was doing it for the right reasons and not as a replacement for Emma. Any new baby we might (or might not) have would NOT be Emma and I was concerned that Edward hadn't fully comprehended this.

We had a lot of work to do on our relationship and ourselves before adding another person to the equation. It would have been nice to say that things had been perfect since he moved in, but I would be lying. We have had our fair share of fights; we were no different from other couples. I know that since we returned after Thanksgiving, that everyone seemed to think we had this all worked out, but we didn't. I'm far too independent for Edward's liking; it drives him nuts. I was pretty confident that this was one of our biggest bones of contention. I know my body better than anyone else and I was painfully aware of the repercussions if I overworked myself. Sure, I had had a couple of slip-ups, but I am capable of looking after myself. Edward feels so protective of me that he hovers sometimes, and sometimes I say things that I shouldn't—things that upset him. I don't always mean it when I snap, but there have been times when I meant every word of it, and then some.

My therapist, Charlotte, explained that it was Edward's way of compensating for not saving me from the accident, which was ludicrous because he wasn't even in the car when it happened. She also said that it was a means of making amends for leaving and suggested that Edward's extreme fear of losing me again was prompting him to act irrationally. I can understand that, but just the same, it would be nice to be trusted once in a while.

With the dishes done and Edward still banging away in the studio, I figured I would give Alice a call to see how she was doing. Jasper answered and explained that Alice went to bed at six, and he was heading there soon himself.

"Chasing a class of second graders around is tiring work, darlin'," he said, stifling a yawn. "I need to ask you something, though. What happened with Jaden this afternoon? I heard him crying before we lost our connection."

I walked into the living room and curled up on the couch. "I don't know. I was going to ask you the same thing. I was at the nurses' station when it happened."

"I asked if he wanted to answer a question. He struggled with the answer and got it wrong. It was no big deal; in fact, several of the kids got it wrong."

Fred hopped up in my lap and I scratched gently behind his ears, finding his purring to be soothing. "He was screaming something about being stupid and hitting himself by the time I got there."

Jasper sighed loudly. "He needs a lot of help, Bella."

I echoed his sigh. "I know, Jazzy."

There was silence for a moment before Jasper spoke again, this time sounding a little less sad. "Thanks for being with Alice today. It means a lot to both of us."

"Me too, Jazzy. Thanks for sharing with me."

He yawned in earnest. "I need to go to bed, darlin', I'm falling asleep on my feet. I'll tell her that you called, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Hey, wait! Why don't you two come for dinner tomorrow after your turn on Jaden duty?"

"Sounds delightful. Night, darlin'. Love you."

"I love you too, Jazzy. Give Ali and Sunnybubbles a kiss for me."

"Sunnybubbles," he chuckled. "Give Broody Boy a kick for us."

I laughed. "I will."

* * *

**_So, one of you wonderful readers thought well enough of Encore to nominate it for a GLOSP award in the '_****Story that broke your heart over and over again. (Saddest fic overall)'_category. Voting opened today, so please, even though I don't have a chance against the mammoth fics in the category, it would still be nice to get a couple of votes. *shameless plug, I know*  
www DOT glospawards DOT blogspot DOT com_**

******_Need fic reading ideas? Wondering what's got me all a-twitter this week?_**

******Hands Open_ by Nikita2009 (If I could live in a fic for a couple of days, it would be this one)  
_Last Tango in Forks_ by Awesomesauce76  
_********Relative Wind_ by Mac214_**

******_If you want other suggestions, may I suggest you check out some of the awesome blogs out there like _Southern Fanfic Review, Twi-Muses, The Edge Girls, Fresh Squeezed Lemons and the TwiGasm.**

******_See you next week, and as always, I love to hear what you're thinking. I've read some really neat observations and I love to discuss them with y'all._**


	7. Chapter 7

**I wasn't sure that I would be able to update today, but by nothing short of a miracle my laptop survived the fire and we're good to go.**

**Fire...yes...I said fire. I won't bore you with details, but some morons decided that lighting cardboard boxes on fire in an alley, next to a bookstore/apartments was a good idea. I was up reading fanfic (Fade Into You by RCD-Alice) on my phone at 1 a.m. when I should have been asleep. Thankfully I wasn't, because I heard a ruckus outside my window and saw the flames. The firefighters and police were there within minutes and the fire was contained. Sadly, the bookstore lost some books, but really it could have been worse.**

**Unfortunately my windows were open and the smoke filled my apartment. I hate to think of what would have happened to me and Knuckles had I not been awake when it happened, because as it is, I took a pretty heavy hit of smoke. **

**If it weren't for fanfic, I could be dead. Remember that people, FANFIC SAVES LIVES! Tell that to the naysayers and your husbands who hate that you read it. It not only feeds our souls, enriches our lives, it also saved mine.**

**With that, I dedicate this chapter to RCD-Alice, the girl at Dooley's who spotted the fire and reacted so quickly, and to the hot firemen who probably laughed their asses off at me when they stumbled upon my life-sized Edward Cullen in the living room.**

**Oh, and I have been told that tissues are required for those of you who are prone to "allergies" while reading this story.**

* * *

_**Jasper**_

"Jaden, buddy!"

The little boy's eyes lit up when he saw me walking in. "Mr. Jasper!"

"You've got your other eye back. When did that happen?"

"Um," he stopped, leaning back on his pillow as he counted his fingers. "I think it was last night."

I laughed and he blushed a little. "Well, whenever it happened, it's great to see BOTH of them wide open now." I set down my laptop bag and moved to sit by the bed. "Are you alone?"

"Nah, Missus Esme went to get me a Popsicle. I'm SOOOO hungry and they won't let me eat food, so I eat a lot of Popsicles. She's nice, you know. I like her a lot."

He smiled at me, and I returned it. "We all do, little buddy. She's a special lady."

"Who's a special lady?" Esme asked as she walked into the room. She stopped and planted a sweet kiss on my cheek as she passed. "Hi, sweetie. Are you here alone?"

"Alice was tired when she got back from school, so she's home napping. She might stop by later. The baby was fairly active last night and it's starting to really take a lot out of her."

"Bless her heart. Oh! Jaden, here's your Popsicle. Maria had red and orange ones today, I hope orange sounds good."

The little guy rubbed his belly and licked his lips. "It sure does. Thank you."

Esme excused herself, saying something about getting some tea, leaving me alone with Jaden. "So, how was your day?"

He shrugged as he sucked on his treat. "Meh."

"Just meh? Did anything bad happen? You want to talk about it?"

I watched as his eyes looked down at his hand as he shook his head. "No."

The chair scraped noisily across the floor as I moved closer. I wanted him to look at me when I said what I was about to say. "Just so you know, you can talk to me about anything, okay? Anything at all, okay?"

He tried so hard to avert his gaze from mine that it was easy to see that he was avoiding something. He nodded his head as he looked toward the window and frowned. "Yeah, I know. I'm tired of talking. Can we just play cards? Miss Bella brought me some Skip Bo cards today because I was a good boy and talked to the lady who came to see me yesterday."

Ah-ha. I knew the therapist was supposed to be stopping by, but she'd been saying that for the past week or more. Hm, this makes more sense now.

I smiled at him when he finally looked over at me. His eyes were sad, they looked tired, and he just looked so...so broken. "Skip Bo, you say? Alrighty, but I need to warn you that I taught Miss Bella everything she knows."

He looked at me and grinned. "Bring it on, Mr. Jasper, bring it on."

I shuffled and dealt the cards, stopping to help him get his cards situated in his casted hand. Watching his face as he scrutinized his hand and formulated a plan was very interesting. He was very intense for a child his age, and there was something very, I don't know, old soul about him.

"So," I started, hoping I wasn't about to stir things up, "how did it go with the lady yesterday? What was her name?"

I watched as he bit his bottom lip, concentrating on his hand. He picked up a new card and his entire face lit up as he laid out three _pick up two_ cards, one right after the other. "Pick up six cards, Mr. Jasper!"

It was easy to see that he was deflecting my questions, yet still thoroughly enjoying the game, so I made a big deal of having to add so many cards to my hand. "You got me that time, Jaden. Look at my hand now! I don't think I'll ever get a chance to go out if you keep," I paused to play my next card, "playing like this."

He picked up a card from the pile, squealing as he immediately puts down yet ANOTHER _pick up two_ card. "Pick up two more!"

I picked up the cards and began my questioning again. "So, what did you say the lady's name was?"

"Heidi," he replied absently as he rearranged his cards. "She was nice enough, I guess, but not as pretty as my girls are."

"Your girls?"

"Yeah, Miss Bella, Miss Alice, and Miss Rosie. They're my girls. She didn't smell as nice as they do either."

We continued to play cards, and I have to say that the kid was seriously kicking my ass.

"She made me talk about stuff, Mr. Jasper."

"What kind of stuff?" I hoped my question doesn't upset him.

Jaden put down his cards, leaning toward me. "Not nice things. Sad things. Scary things. She planted nightmare seeds in my brain, Mr. Jasper, and she made me cry. I hope she doesn't come back. I don't want to remember. I don't want to talk about it." His bottom lip began to tremble, and a tear tracked slowly down his face, cleaning a path through the sticky Popsicle residue on his chin. "It hurts my heart when I remember."

I moved over to give him a hug. "I know, buddy, but sometimes remembering will make the really bad stuff easier to deal with; sometimes it has to hurt more before you can feel better. It's like taking off a band-aid; it hurts, but you feel better when it's done."

He sniffled lightly. "Mr. Emmett said that too."

"Do you trust Mr. Emmett?" I asked, rubbing his back gently.

After he let out a big yawn, he whispered his answer to me. "Yes, more than anyone in the world."

"Then maybe he's right?"

We sat in silence for a moment before he turned his head so he could see me. "Mr. Jasper? Will you stay while I sleep so you can scare away the bad dreams when they come? Mr. Emmett's old quilt helps a bit, but it's better when there's a grown up here to help too."

I gave him another hug. "Of course, little guy."

"Will you rub my back again?"

"Yup. Want me to sing something?"

He grinned at me. "Will you sing the cowboy song to me again?"

I laughed quietly. "You got it."

So there we sat, in his hospital bed, a broken little boy clinging to me in hopes that I'd keep the bad dreams away while I sang _Home on the Range_ to him.

He managed about a half hour of steady sleep before the screaming started. So, much like I will be doing with my baby girl in a couple of months' time, I rocked him back to sleep as he cried in my arms.

Emmett and Rose returned from their meetings with the therapist and social worker a couple of hours later, both looking like they had been through the wringer. The process of setting up temporary guardianship had gone okay, but applying for permanent status or even adopting him was proving to be much harder than the pamphlets, brochures, and websites had promised it would be.

"How'd you make out?" I whispered as they near the bed.

"I have no fuc...freaking clue," Emmett said, sighing as he sat down. I had to give him credit; he'd really been working on his potty mouth lately. "I'm seriously thinking that they don't want us to have him. They keep looking for obscure relatives to take him, but they can't locate anyone. His grandparents aren't much help either; they signed over the guardianship to us, they specifically said they wanted us to have him, and yet the system is pushing this relative thing. If there was anyone else, wouldn't you think they'd step forward if they wanted him?"

"Have you talked to Zafrina?"

Rose moved to sit in Em's lap, then turned to face me. "She couldn't make the meeting today; we're meeting her tonight. She's going to do some digging, make some calls, do whatever she can to help us. We're starting the home study stuff tomorrow. Thankfully, they're going to rush us through it, but just the same, we need more help from you guys. I hate to ask because Alice is pregnant and Bella gets tired so easily, but we can't leave him alone. I have finals coming up too..."

Rosie looked utterly exhausted and upset. I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll do what we can, sis. We all love him, and it's not exactly a big chore to hang out with him. I'm sure we can all work something out. What did the therapist say?"

Emmett scowled at this point. "She didn't tell us anything we didn't already know and she tried to discourage us from taking him home with us. She said we might be ill-equipped to deal with a child who requires extra care and attention."

"That's ridiculous!" This woman was aggravating me even more. Emmett was a good judge of character and if he didn't like her, it would be easy to see why Jaden wouldn't. I know that social workers and therapists are stretched thin, but it's annoying that this woman thinks she knows everything about him and about my family, after one brief consultation.

"You're telling me, brother. After looking after Bella and Angstward, I think I'm more than qualified to handle this."

My sister flinched minutely, so much so that I don't think that Emmett noticed her doing it. It didn't escape me, though. Note to self: talk to Rosie.

"What else did she say?"

"He needs extensive therapy, that he's got PTSD, and that he'll likely require constant care for the next six months to a year. She REALLY pissed me off, though, when she kept pushing him. He made it abundantly clear that he wasn't ready to talk but she pushed him too far. I'm going to start looking for another therapist—one who will work WITH him and not AGAINST him, and I want to start him in art therapy before anyone starts on the intensive psychotherapy. I just don't think he's ready to talk about it. I don't want him clamming up, and he loves to draw, so I thought maybe that would be a good start."

Jaden began twitching again in my arms, then screaming. I rubbed his back and began to sing again. When he opened his eyes and saw that we weren't alone, he reached out, whimpering. "Miss Rosie?"

The hard-edged features of my sister's face quickly dissolved, and her eyes softened as she regarded him. "Yeah, sweetie?"

I looked down to see his bottom lip trembling again, and it broke my heart.

"I...I n...n...need you," he whimpered again. "P...please?"

I traded spots with my sister, watching in awe as the maternal side she always swore she didn't have took over. She gathered him into her arms as best she could and held him tightly, singing something to him. I couldn't make out the song, but Jaden seemed to like it. He calmed down after a few moments, and fell back to sleep.

Em and I walked out into the hall together after I grabbed my bag.

"Sometimes he needs a woman's touch," he said, looking back at them. "God, she's so amazing that I want to erect a billboard in Times Square to tell the world that my beautiful girl is an angel. I know she's got a lot of love to give, but I wasn't sure she'd be this amazing."

His eyes filled with tears. "I'm a lucky fudger, Jazz."

I patted his back and stifled a laugh. "You sure are. Oh, and by the way...you said _erect_."

_**Jaden**_

Is it bad that I wanted to punch that Heidi lady in the nose with my cast? I can't even call her _Miss_ Heidi because she didn't deserve it. Mommy always said that by addressing my elders as mister and miss that I was showing respect; well, Heidi didn't deserve my respect because she didn't have ANY for me at all.

Man, sometimes being little sucks.

Oops, I didn't mean to curse, but she deserved it. Mr. Emmett warned me that someone would be coming to talk to me last week but she didn't come. Then Maria said she'd be here a couple of days ago, but she didn't come. I was starting to think that maybe I did something bad to make her stay away.

On second thought, I wasn't bad enough.

I wanted Mr. Emmett or Miss Rosie to stay with me, but she sent them away. I know Mr. Emmett didn't go far because I could hear him talking loud in the hallway and he was MAD!

Heidi the Horrible talked all fake, like she was trying to be my friend, but she's not and I'm NEVER talking to her again. She gave me the _no feeling_. She asked hard questions and got all annoyed when I couldn't answer her. I remember some things about what happened, but not everything, and talking about it brings the bad dreams and the loud bangs and the pain and…

Enough. Mr. Emmett said he'd try to make sure she didn't come back. I hope he can. I don't like her.

Dr. Singh came to see me today and he said that my busted kidney is getting better and that he might take my pee tube out soon. I hope so. I'm tired of being in bed. Miss Bella said she'd take me to visit Lily when I am allowed to get out of bed.

Oh, and I get to eat real food soon too! I'm REALLY excited about that. Dr. Singh said that I could go home as soon as I can eat and pee and poop on my own without any problems.

I'm scared, though. I don't really have a home since…well, since daddy went nuts. Mr. Emmett keeps saying that I can come live with him and Miss Rosie at their new house and I want to believe them, but…well, I heard them talking about lawyers and judges and social workers. Then he said something about Nan and Pop signing papers slow because they are old or something.

I don't pretend to understand any of this, but I'll trust Mr. Emmett because he won't let anyone hurt me.

I'm so tired. All I want to do is sleep, but the dreams come faster and louder now. They only came after I started talking to Heidi the Horrible about what happened.

Maybe I should just stop talking.

_**Emmett**_

I woke up to screaming again this morning, but I'm getting used to it. What I can't get used to, or even accept is that Jaden won't talk today.

At all.

The only time we can hear his voice is when he screams. The screaming only got this bad a couple of days ago—after he spoke with Heidi. I KNEW I should have stayed in the room when she was there. Rosie thinks I'm overreacting, but I'm not budging.

As soon as Alice arrived after writing her final exam, I went to find Zafrina. She was sitting in her office doing paperwork or something.

"Emmett, so nice to see…what's wrong?" Her smile faded as she took in the expression on my face. She motioned for me to take a seat. "Please sit. Tell me what's going on. Is it Jaden?"

"You're f…effing right it's Jaden."

"What happened? Is it his kidney?"

"No, it's NOT his kidney, it's Heidi the Horrible," I growled as I said the bitch's name. "What the hell did she do to him? He's stopped speaking."

Zafrina's posture stiffened, tightening to the point where she was sitting ramrod straight. "What do you mean he's stopped speaking?"

"Exactly that. HE. STOPPED. SPEAKING. He was incredibly upset after his session with her, his nightmares have gotten worse, and he screams all night. He said something to Jasper about her planting nightmare seeds in his head. What the hell is that?"

I slammed my fists down on my thighs in frustration. Someone needed to give me answers and I needed them now. I know it's not Zafrina's fault, but she's the only person who might be able to find out what happened. "Help him, Zafrina, please. I'm begging you."

Her chair scraped on the floor as she moved to sit in front of me on her desk. "I'm sorry, Emmett. I don't know what happened, but I'll sure as hell find out. I'll get Heidi in here right away.

"In the meantime, I'd like you to meet with a couple of colleagues of mine—maybe they will be a better fit? I'll let you decide. I'll call them right away."

"Thanks," I mumbled, "I'd appreciate it."

"Don't give up, Emmett. He's been through so much and you have to keep in mind that it only just happened in the past couple of weeks. Can you imagine trying to process what he saw at your age? Now imagine trying to put it together so it makes sense when you're seven. He's bound to shut down at some point—we just need to make sure he doesn't get stuck. It's not uncommon for kids like him to stop talking, although it's usually when they are first brought in."

"I really can't imagine what he's going through. I was amazed that he seemed to bounce back the way he did, but you're right, it hasn't been very long. Maybe the shock is wearing off."

I stood up and hugged her. "Thanks. I'm so glad we have you on our side. Just make sure you keep Heidi away from us, okay? I'm not a violent man, but I might have some less-than-lovely words for her."

"I'm here for you guys. So, when's your class today?"

"I can't leave him like this," I sighed, "what if he needs us?"

She took my face in her hands so I had no option but to look at her. "Emmett, listen to me. If you put off the classes it won't look good. You need to go. I'm sure he'll be fine with other members of your family being with him. Please don't fuck this up. He'll need you more later than he does right now. When you get done, I want you to come find me and we'll talk to my friends, okay?"

Wow. Zafrina swore. My throat tightened. "It's so hard."

I felt her arms around me again. "It won't always be. You're doing great."

I cried for a second, forgetting where I was and who I was with, and it kind of felt good. When I was done, she handed me a tissue.

"You know, Zafrina, I've not always been such a crybaby pansy. I'm usually more put together, more manly."

She smiled warmly at me. "I know, Emmett, I know. Sometimes it takes the smallest of things to bring down the greatest of men. The little guy adores you and I think, hell, I KNOW that you'll be the one to help him find his way back."

"Thanks, Z."

"Z?" she chuckled.

"Sorry, I have a habit of giving people nicknames and abbreviating shi…stuff."

Zafrina tapped her index finger on her chin and rolled her eyes. "Z…I think I like it. Now, go get ready for your home study. I'll see you after."

Alice was reading quietly to Jaden, who had curled around her and was rubbing her belly. I approached quietly, not wanting to disturb them. Jaden looked over at me, smiling sadly.

"Hi buddy. Still not talking?"

All of my hopes, though little as they might have been, were dashed when he shook his head.

"Okay," I exhaled heavily…maybe a little too much so, because I was pretty sure he registered my disappointment. "I hope you find your words again soon; I miss talking to you."

A tear fell from his eye and I felt like an asshole. I didn't mean to lay a guilt trip on him, and I'm pretty sure that's what I just did. I walked over and sat on the bed. He gently crawled into my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck.

"Sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to make you sad. Look," I pulled him back a little so I could see his face when I was speaking to him, "I have to go to home study class with Miss Rosie."

He cocked an eyebrow at me.

How do I explain this to a seven year old? He's a bright kid, but just the same…"Home study is for grown ups who want to look after kids who aren't theirs. People from the social worker's office are coming to our house to see it, make sure that it's a good house for you, and to learn more about me and Miss Rosie to be sure that we're able to look after you properly. They want to talk to us, mostly."

Jaden tensed up a little, looking more than a little afraid.

"But don't worry; you don't have to talk to them. This is just for me and Miss Rosie and our family. Everything will be fine—we have nothing to hide and we're good people. You understand?"

He nodded, gave me another tight hug, then crawled off my lap and back to his spot beside Alice, where he nudged the book for her to keep reading.

Alice looked up at me and smiled sadly. "We'll be okay. You go do what you have to do, and don't worry about us. We'll be here when you get back."

"Thanks, Little One. Well, uh, see you in a couple of hours."

_**Jaden**_

Mr. Emmett looked so sad and it was all my fault. I wanted to tell him everything and make sure that he knows that I'm not upset with HIM, but I can't. He was right, I lost my words and I'm almost afraid now to find them.

Rubbing Miss Alice's belly makes me feel good. Sunnybubbles likes to kick me and it feels funny. It's hard to believe there's a baby in there and I don't know how it will ever come out because Miss Alice's bellybutton is WAAAAY smaller than Sunnybubble's foot. I know because I measured it with my fingers. I mean, sure, her bellybutton is popped out, but unless it can REALLY stretch, I don't know how it's going to work.

I wasn't allowed to see when Casey was being born. Mommy said that I was too little and daddy whispered to me that it was gross and I'd probably get sick and puke on the baby. That both worried me and made me laugh.

Daddy wasn't always angry—he only got like that when Casey got sick. Daddy and I used to play baseball, ride bikes, go swimming, go to movies, go camping…we used to do EVERYTHING together. People called me a shadow or something because I was always with him.

But then Casey got sick and Daddy had to work more to pay doctor bills when he was in the hospital. He and Mommy would yell a lot about the ridonkulous…riciduclous…ridiculous, yes, that's the word, ridiculous bills and how he was only one man. He was tired all the time and grouchy, which meant that I wasn't to talk to him. I forgot once and he…he hit me. When I cried, he hugged me and said he was sorry, only I don't think he was telling the truth because he did it again, and when Mommy came home from the hospital and saw me crying one day, he hit her too.

Every time he hit us he'd cry and say he was sorry and that he loved us. He said he was stressed out. After Casey died, he stopped saying sorry, but then he wasn't hitting us as much, which was nice. He shouted a lot more, which in some ways, was worse.

Yelling. He yelled A LOT the night…

My body shivered, but I wasn't cold. Miss Alice wrapped me in a blanket, which was nice of her to do.

"You okay, Jaden?"

No. No, Miss Alice, I'm not okay. I wish I could tell you everything. But no, I'm not okay. My daddy shot my mommy and hurt me and then I watched…

I screamed and scared Miss Alice. I didn't mean to, but the TV in my head kept playing it over and over again and I was scared and sad and frustrated and…

_**Alice**_

Holy shit, Jaden scared the crap out of me when he screamed. Maria came running in to see what was going on.

"Alice?"

"I don't know. He kind of spaced out, then he started shivering. I asked if he was okay and he screamed. I don't know what to do? Do we call Emmett?"

Jaden turned to me and shook his head frantically. He looked terrified, and his screams soon became hysterical sobs and hiccups.

"Buddy, I know you hate the sleepy needles, but if you can't calm down I'm going to have to…"

He grabbed her arm, shaking his head. This would be so much easier if he would just speak.

Sunnybubbles began kicking me in earnest and I let out a groan. She was obviously upset by the screaming and was really beating on my internal organs, so I rubbed my belly, hoping to calm her down, and praying she wouldn't do any damage. Sometimes it felt like she was going to kick right through my stomach and run a 100m hurdles race.

Small shaking hands joined mine, and when I looked at Jaden, he'd stopped making noise until he put his cheek on me and began humming to my belly.

I moved one hand tentatively to his back, where I rubbed it gently the way he likes to have it done as he's falling asleep at night. I watched in awe as he tried to calm down _our_ baby, as he had called her before.

"It's okay, Maria; I think he's alright," I whispered.

"Do you want me to call Emmett?" she asked as she put down the syringe she had been preparing.

"No, not yet. He NEEDS to do the home study or else we're all going to be in a mess. Jaden and I will be okay."

"Is the baby okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she just freaked out when he screamed. I think she was worried about him."

Maria rubbed his head, whispering something to him. I watched as he nodded, then resumed humming to the baby.

Our favourite nurse smiled, mouthing, "I'll be right back" before leaving the room. When she returned, she had a cup of applesauce.

"Jaden, sweetie, here's the treat I promised. Do you think you can try eating this? If it doesn't hurt your tummy we can try some soup later."

He moved away from me slightly so he could sit up and eat his first _solid_ food.

Boy, did he eat it. He barreled through that small cup so fast that I was afraid he'd get sick, but he didn't. He rubbed his stomach and smiled brightly at Maria.

"Good boy! Let's see how things go and if you don't get a tummy ache we'll try the soup. Maybe tomorrow you can have your catheter taken out too. Would you like to be able to get out of bed?"

Jaden bounced up and down on the bed.

"I'd say he's pretty happy about that."

"Jaden's happy?" Zafrina said, walking into the room. "That's awesome! Have you got a high five for Miss Zafrina?"

He lifted his hand, smacking palms with her, grinning.

"I was just telling Jaden and Miss Alice that if he can keep down his applesauce and eat some soup later without any tummy aches that we might be able to take out the catheter tomorrow and he'll be able to get out of bed.

Zafrina clapped. "That's wonderful news, Jaden! I bet you're excited about that."

I don't know if vigorous would be enough to describe how hard he was nodding. I was seriously afraid that his head would separate from his shoulders if he kept it up.

"Well, I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I would come say hi and drop off a little present for you. Do you like to draw?"

A huge smile graced his face. It was so bright and so sweet, that it all but erased the violent marks on his skin.

"I take it that you do. Well, I thought maybe you and Miss Alice would like to have some paper, markers, and crayons to draw some pictures. Would you like that?"

We both nodded this time. "Oooh, I LOVE to draw. What should we draw?"

Jaden shrugged his shoulders as he watched a large pad of paper being placed in front of him, as well as a very large bin of drawing implements.

"Thanks, Zafrina. Can we draw anything for you? Any requests?" I figured that there was a bit of an ulterior motive for this little present, and I wanted her to know, without tipping him off, that I was onto her.

She paused dramatically, then smiled. "You can draw pictures of your favourite things for me if you like, or your favourite places, or your favourite people. Anything will do." Since Jaden's attention was elsewhere, she mouthed a _thank you_ to me.

Jaden was digging through the bin, searching for something to draw with. Zafrina's goodbye fell on deaf ears and she left the room chuckling to herself.

"So, I think I'm going to start drawing my favourite food. Hmm…"

As I pondered what I should begin drawing, Jaden reached over to his nightstand and handed me the iPod Edward had brought for him. One earbud went into his ear while the other was presented to me.

So, there we sat, listening to classical music and drawing. His focus was intense, almost freakishly so for a child his age, but then again, anything seems hyper focused to me these days since I was all but bouncing off the walls. Not being able to take my ADHD meds was a bit of a struggle, but I was getting by. I actually found that drawing was, well, for lack of a better word, _drawing _me in.

After a while, he tugged on my sleeve to show me his creation. Atop the page it said _Jadens Faverate Food_ and there were drawings of pizza, spaghetti, cake, what I could only assume was a Popsicle, and a carrot.

"You like carrots?" I asked, amazed.

He smiled.

"That's a great list, buddy; we'll have to make sure you get all of that soon. My favourite foods are Crème Brulee, which is a dessert that Edward makes with a blow torch; pizza, but not with anchovies, yuck!" I shivered in distaste at the thought of the little oily fish. "Ew!"

Jaden giggled at my reaction, then pointed to my page again.

"I also like Pad Thai, which is spicy noodles; tacos, and chocolate, although not together. The baby really likes this food too.

"Do you want to draw foods that we don't like so we don't feed you the wrong things?"

He didn't answer; he just grabbed a green marker and began drawing. After a few minutes we determined that he doesn't like broccoli, black licorice, fish or pineapple.

As we spent the afternoon drawing our likes and dislikes, I learned a lot about him and I was thankful to Zafrina for suggesting it.

It was the last drawing that did me in. He drew a picture of us all, even a little baby in my belly, as well as Maria and Zafrina. He was standing in the middle, smiling. What really got me was up in the clouds he had drawn what looked like it could be his mother, his baby brother, and Emma, all of whom had halos and wings.

I noticed his father wasn't there, but didn't mention it because I didn't want to set him off—we were finally having a great time after his meltdown earlier.

We both yawned at the same time, sending us into an exhausted gale of giggles.

"I don't know about you, Jaden, but I could use a nap. What do you say?"

He nodded before leaning up to kiss my cheek, then down to kiss my belly. He cuddled up with his hand resting over Sunnybubbles and we both fell asleep.

* * *

**So, there you have it. Another chapter down. As always, I love to hear what you're thinking, and I have to apologize now that I won't be able to send out teasers/sneak peeks this time around because I don't have wireless at my brother's house and I don't want him to find any fic on his computer...he might not be pleased with the more citrus side of it. ;)**

**I'll try to find a way to make it up to you, though.**

**Minnakoda and Katmom, you are more than just betas, you are a lifeline. Thanks for everything.  
TwilightMomofTwo, LJ Summers, Sherryola...thank you for your concern. I really means a lot.**


	8. Bonus: Heidi the Horrible

**_Since so many of you asked about what happened between Jaden and _Heidi the Horrible_, and since I didn't send out a sneak peek last time, I'm giving you a bonus this week. _**

**_This will likely make you angry, annoyed, and question the ethics and morality of the monster named Heidi, and it may make you understand a little better why Jaden is struggling to find his words._**

**_This won't be pretty. The faint of heart may wish to avert their eyes.

* * *

_**

_**Jaden**_

I was half-asleep when Miss Zafrina came into my room.

"Jaden, sweetie, I'm sorry to wake you, but there is someone here to see you."

Mr. Emmett was looking kind of nervous, rubbing his hands through his hair like he does when he's upset, and I didn't understand why. It was making me nervous just watching him.

A lady with frizzy orange hair walked in the door and her smile scared me—it was too big, too loud, and her teeth were too bright and too perfect.

"Hi, Jaden, I'm Heidi," she shouted.

I covered my ears and tried to hide under my blanket, but she pulled it off and I had to look at her again.

"Don't be scared, little guy, I won't hurt you. I just want to talk to you for a bit."

Mr. Emmett coughed, then walked over to the bed. "You're safe, buddy. I'll be outside in the hall with Miss Zafrina and I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

I shook my head and reached for him.

"Please, buddy, just talk to her for a few minutes. For me?"

I shrugged my shoulders and pulled Chocolate closer to my face. "I'm scared, Mr. Emmett," I whispered.

"You just yell if you need me, okay?"

"All right. But don't go far."

He rumpled my hair and smiled at me, but it wasn't a full smile; his dimples stayed hidden. That made me even more nervous.

After Mr. Emmett and Miss Zafrina left, the Heidi lady came and sat at the foot of my bed. "So, Jaden, who's your friend?" she pointed at Chocolate.

I wiggled him at her a little. "Chocolate, my moose."

She smiled too loud again and reached out to touch him, but I pulled him back, then started sucking my thumb.

"Okay, okay," she said, pulling her hands back, "I won't touch him. So, Jaden, do you know who I am?"

I didn't bother taking my thumb out of my mouth so my words were all mumble jumbled. "You're Heidi."

"Do you know what my job is? Do you know why I'm here?"

"To talk, I guess?"

Her smile faded a bit. "Jaden, would you mind taking your thumb out of your mouth so we can talk? It's hard to understand what you're saying."

Anger boiled up in me as I pulled my thumb out of my mouth with a big POP. "There."

"That's better. Aren't you a little old to be sucking your thumb?" she asked, her stupid annoying smile getting bigger. The more she smiled, the more I hated her. It wasn't a real smile—not by a mile.

"Aren't you a little old to be wearing a clown wig?" I asked before immediately covering my mouth. Mommy would be very upset with me for disrespecting an elder. Elder or not, though, I didn't respect Heidi—she gave me a serious case of the _no _feeling.

"I understand that you're upset—you've been through so much, so I'll let that go. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? What are your favourite things to do?"

Her voice sounded really fake, almost as fake as her smile, and it made me uncomfortable. If Mr. Emmett hadn't let her come into the room, I would have screamed _stranger danger! _Her eyes weren't kind at all. Miss Zafrina and Miss Maria both have warm eyes, safe eyes, but Heidi's eyes were…they just made me uncomfortable. I wrapped my arms around myself, not wanting to answer. She didn't need to know about me, and I didn't want to tell her.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Jaden; I just want to get to know you a little more and maybe help you. Would you like to play a game?"

A game sounded better than talking to her, so I agreed. I watched as she pulled a deck of cards from her big purple bag. "We can play _Go Fish_ with my special cards. When you make a pair, I want you to tell me what you think about when you see the picture. Got it?"

I nodded and watched as she dealt the cards. When I tried to pick up my hand, I got frustrated and almost threw them at her. Stupid cast and IV tube were really getting in the way.

"I'll give you a minute to get sorted out."

I snorted at her comment. I like most people but this lady was just…I don't know…there was just something about her that I didn't like. It was like she was treating me like a brain dead two year old.

As I dug through my cards, I found two pairs in my hand, so I laid them down and reached over to pick up four more. If I hadn't had a catheter, I think I would have peed my pants when she yelled at me.

"Ah! Ah! You didn't tell me which cards you have and what they make you think about."

I looked at her pairs, laid neatly on the bed beside her. "Neither did you."

She sighed. "No, you're right. I picked up two apples and apples make me think about fall. I also picked up two dump trucks which remind me of construction sites. What did you get?"

"A cat."

"And? What about the cat?"

"I always wanted one. I played with the neighbour's kitty."

I watched as her eyebrows moved, but when I looked a little harder, I noticed that they were drawn on. This lady was a clown! I knew it! I don't like clowns. Her big loud mouth opened again as she asked me yet another question. "Why didn't you have one?"

This I could answer and I didn't feel like I was telling too much. "Casey got sick before we could get one. Cats are too dirty to be around sick babies."

"Was Casey your brother?"

I nodded, but then corrected her. "IS my brother. Casey IS my brother. Always and forever, he's in my heart and looking down from heaven on me. Same with Mommy."

"Do you want to talk about your Mommy and Daddy?"

I shook my head so hard it made me dizzy. "NO!" She was not allowed to hear about Mommy and Daddy. I wasn't going there. Not with her, anyway.

"Okay, well, what other cards did you pick up?"

I held up two bicycle cards. "A bike."

"And?"

"I don't have one. There was never any money for a bike."

Heidi nodded, so I picked up four cards and saw that I had no more pairs. I looked up at her and shook my head.

"Okay, then, go ahead and ask me for a card, Jaden."

"Do you have a…" I looked over at the backs of her cards and wished that I had x-ray vision. "Do you have a…sunshine?"

Heidi made the Mr. Edward scrunchy face, then smiled. "You got me, I have one." After making a big deal of giving me the stupid card, she handed it over and gave me a look, as in, hurry up and talk.

"Sunshine makes me think of babies and singing."

"That's interesting. Will you tell me why?"

"Mommy used to sing the sunshine song to me and Casey and I'm naming Miss Alice's baby Sunnybubbles."

"Can you sing the song to me?"

I thought about it. There were actually two songs and I wasn't going to sing the sweet song we shared. Heidi could have the other one.

"_When the moon is in the 7__th__ house_

_And Jupiter aligns with Mars…"_

Heidi made a strange face. "Sweetie, that's the song _Aquarius_. There's no sunshine in it."

I huffed. "I know! I'm seven, not stupid. The sunshine part is at the end. _Let the sun shine, let the sun shine in, the sunnnn shine innnnnn._"

"Gotcha. That's an interesting song to teach to a child."

"My mommy is a very interesting lady."

Heidi looked like she wanted to ask me to talk about Mommy again, but I cut her off. "Your turn."

We played a couple more hands until I picked up a card that made my heart stutter. I cried out and dropped it like a hot potato.

"What is it, Jaden?" she asked, reaching for the card.

I could feel my body trembling as she turned it to face me.

"NO! PUT IT AWAY!" I cried out.

"Jaden, it's just a card. Why does this one frighten you?"

It didn't frighten me, it terrified me. "I…it's a…" I couldn't say the word.

"Come on, you can say it."

"No!" I couldn't. I wouldn't. I shouldn't.

"Please?"

"No!"

"Why can't you say the word g…"

I screamed so I wouldn't have to hear it. When I stopped I heard Mr. Emmett arguing with someone outside the door.

"Mr. Emmett! PLEASE!"

Heidi got in my face and held it so I couldn't look away. "No, Jaden, you can't see Mr. Emmett right now. Let's talk about the gun."

The word rang loud in my ear, like the sound of Daddy's gun when he…I could see it all again. Hear it. Taste it, smell it, feel it.

"Please, Daddy, don't! Mommy's hurt already. Please put the gun down, you're scaring me. Mommy! Wake up! Daddy, please don't hurt us anymore—"

"Jaden, calm down. You're safe. Everything's okay. Daddy's not here."

"I w…w…want m…m…my m…mommy!" I could barely get the words out. My heart was hurting and I was so full of sad that I thought I was going to explode. I could hear Mommy crying and then the loud bang that made her stop. I saw the blood and heard Daddy yelling at me to stop crying. Then he hit me and kicked me and then I don't remember what happened because things got dark. When I opened my eyes next I saw the gun under his chin. _"I'm sorry, son,"_ was all that he said before the next loud bang and I saw his head explode.

The pictures kept playing in my head so loud that I couldn't hear anything or anyone until I felt the buzzy fuzzy medicine. Then I heard Mr. Emmett yelling at Heidi. "WHY DID YOU PUSH HIM TO TALK? WHAT KIND OF THERAPIST ARE YOU? LOOK AT HIM!"

There was other shouting, but the buzzing in my ears drowned it out.

Heidi was horrible. She made the bad stuff come back and I was never talking to her again.

EVER!

* * *

**_A huge hug for Minna and Katmom who sent this one back in record time._**

**_I'll be doing my regular update on Thursday...I hope. Still living in my brother's basement-my apartment is still uninhabitable._**


	9. Chapter 8

**I'll save my A/N for the end. Sorry for the crappy layout...for some reason my work computer and ffn don't get along.**

**I think the Schmitty Scale of Sob is a little higher on this one, but not necessarily for bad reasons.**

_**Emmett**_

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

Rose spent the night with Jaden while I went home and since no one bothered to call, I slept in. It was just after noon by the time I dragged my ass in to the hospital. I felt like shit for several reasons, the first being that Rosie had been there for over twelve hours and had had to sleep on the tiny cot Maria had brought in, and two, because I haven't had much time with Jaden over the past few days.

Between home studies, meetings with Jenks, spending a couple of days screening new therapists, Rosie writing her finals and trying to get all of Jaden's stuff from his house to put in his new room, I was spread so thin that I thought I might snap.

It's been three days since his last big meltdown, unless they're hiding it from me. He had met with his new therapist, Dr. Scott with little to no fuss. They really seemed to get along; however, that was yesterday and chances are pretty good that he had nightmares all night. Rosie was likely going to be a mess when I got there, and then I'd have to worry about her all day.

But I wouldn't know, would I? No one called to tell me. I HATE not knowing what's going on. I HATE being away from him. I HATE that he could be freaking out and I'm not there to help.

This _parenting thing_ is hard.

I had noticed a change in him since the afternoon he spent drawing with Alice, which was also the last time he had a meltdown. He seemed more relaxed now, and was happiest when he was drawing. Some of his pictures were awesome and everyone had been encouraging him to draw pictures for them to frame. He was really good for his age, but I had already known that because I'd seen how his work measured up against that of his classmates. I really think that art therapy was going to do him a world of good, at least until he started feeling comfortable enough to speak about what happened.

Laughter rang out from his room as I neared it, and I was surprised when my legs were assaulted by a tiny body when I entered the room.

"Jaden? You okay?" The little guy was hugging the shit out of my legs. Wait…hugging my legs? "You're out of bed?" I bent down and picked him up. God, he was skinny—I could feel his bones as I held him, and he was light as a feather.

Rosie walked over, grinning. "They took out the catheter after supper last night. He's been unstoppable ever since."

I spun him around, laughing. "Good job, little buddy!" When we stopped, I whispered to him so no one would hear. "Did you pee?"

He nodded and poked my nose.

"Did you…did you poop?"

He mouthed a big _yup_. God, I wish he would speak. All of his medical issues finally coming to a close was great, but I desperately wished that he would say something. I was scared he'd get stuck in there and we'd never hear him speak again.

"That's my guy! So, everything feels okay?"

He held up his hand and made a so-so gesture.

"Does it hurt when you pee?"

He pinched his fingers together, squinting.

Rosie explained for him. "Maria and Dr. Singh said that it was normal and it's just irritation from having the catheter for so long. His urine levels are good, and there's no blood or sign of infection, AND—hey, Jaden, lift up your shirt."

The little guy lifted his SpongeBob pajama top and pointed to where the drain had once been.

"Your drain is gone too? Everything is okay?"

He threw his arms around my neck so hard that his cast bounced off my head. I didn't care though, Jaden was going to be okay! I could finally relax a bit and breathe again.

Hot tears ran from my eyes and onto his neck as I hugged him.

Rosie and my mom stood by and cried as well.

Wait. Where did Mom come from?

I walked us into the room and sat on the bed, and tried to peel him off of me. "Dude, you can let go if you want."

He loosened his grip, sliding down to sit on my lap. I laughed when he frowned as he wiped at his wet neck.

"Sorry, about that, buddy. I can assure you that they are all happy tears. Wow, I haven't seen you look so happy in a long time. Feels good to be out of bed, doesn't it?"

His head bobbed up and down so hard that I thought it might fly off his neck.

Rosie and Mom moved closer to us, laughing at the bouncing boy on my lap before Rosie spoke. "Dr. Singh said that if he keeps eating and peeing and…you know, and doesn't get sick or have too much pain that he can come home on Friday!"

Friday? Today is Wednesday! Holy shit, we've only got two days to sort everything out.

Mom recognized right away that I was stuck in a shitstorm of thoughts and came to my rescue. God, I love my mom.

"Alice and Bella are going to the houses to get everything ready for his room. Edward and Jasper are going to take care of the big stuff and that _little _surprise from me and your father." My mom smiled over at me, patting my hand reassuringly before turning to the little guy sitting on my lap. "Jaden, how would you like to have a _getting-out-of-the-hospital_ party? We can have whatever food you want and you can invite whomever you want."

I thought the little guy was going to bounce right through the roof. He jumped off my lap and ran to hug Mom, then moved over to his ever-growing pile of drawings. He pulled out the one that showed the family and began pointing out who he wanted to invite.

Rose sat beside me, leaning on me for a moment, smiling at Mom and Jaden. "I guess we're having a party, aren't we?" I said. "Is Dr. Singh around? I'd like to talk to him."

Rose pointed toward the door. "He's doing rounds and will be by shortly. What a change, eh?" she said, turning her gaze to him. "The second the catheter, drain, and IV lines came out, he practically jumped out of the bed. Dr. Singh could hardly tie off the stitches from where he removed the drainage tubing. The kid barely flinched, too. He didn't cry or make the slightest fuss.

"Then he leapt at Dr. Singh and gave him a big hug. It was the cutest thing."

"He's a brave little guy. Shit, Rosie, we've got a lot of stuff to get done. What's going to happen with the home study?" I asked quietly.

"Esme has been cleared by Social Services, so she can take him when we're busy. Zafrina said that really, any of the family can care for him now. The important thing is that we get the home study done, attend the state-mandated classes, and then we can begin the adoption process."

It all sounded so easy when she said it, but I knew we had a long road ahead of us, especially now that he's stopped talk—OOF! "Easy there, buddy," I grunted as Jaden jumped onto my back and wrapped himself around me. He placed a quick kiss on my cheek and hummed as he hugged me.

"Feel like going for a stroll? Want to go to the playroom for a bit?"

I felt him nodding against my back, so I made sure he had a good grip on me before we headed out the door.

"Hey, Emmett!"

I turned to see Peter standing in the doorway of Lily's room. "I see Jaden's up and around. Have you got a second to come say hi to Lily? Did I tell you that she squeezed my hand?"

My new friend was beaming and I couldn't say no, so we proceeded into her room. As soon as Jaden saw her, he struggled against me, so I knelt down to set him on the floor. He walked over to the bed and stared at her for a moment before taking her hand in his and smiling against her palm.

Peter coughed a little beside me, but I resisted looking at him because I had a feeling he was crying. How did I know that? Because I was almost right there with him. I put my hand on his shoulder as a sign of brotherly support.

"Is he okay now, Emmett?" he asked after a moment.

"I hope so. I just wish he'd start talking again."

"He will. He just needs time to heal a bit. He and Lily are kind of in the same boat, I think. I think they're both trapped inside until they heal enough to come back to us."

After a few minutes, Jaden kissed his hand and placed it on her pale cheek for a moment before turning around and walking back over to us. He motioned for Peter to bend down, and when he did, Jaden gave him a hug. Poor unsuspecting Peter broke down as he held the little boy, and I couldn't help but get choked up as I watched Jaden comforting him.

When they finally separated, Peter tearfully thanked him and told him to come visit anytime and that Lily would love to have him around.

"Maybe when you feel like talking again you can come read to her. I heard you were reading the Harry Potter books and she loves them."

Jaden thought about it, then smiled brightly as he nodded.

I got down on my knees so he could hop up on my back again. As soon as we were situated, he kicked his feet against my ribs, pointing toward the door.

"So, I'm a horse now? Is that it?" I teased, making him giggle. "Alright, I'll talk to you later, Peter. It was nice seeing you, Lily. We'll be back later, I promise."

_**Bella**_

I offered to stay with Jaden to give everyone a break. My exams were done and the quiet the hospital offered provided me with the peace I needed to get some writing done. Of course Edward fought me on it, afraid that I'd exhaust myself, but I reminded him of rule number one and he relented—a little. I quite liked the cot in Jaden's room anyway. Besides, Emmett and Rose needed a break, and a chance to get things ready—Jaden would be going home tomorrow and his room was almost ready.

My thesis was coming along. Irina and I had worked out a deal with the university administrators and I was extending my Master's a second time. At first they weren't thrilled, but when I offered to take more courses, the dollar signs rang up in their eyes and they allowed a second extension. It isn't unheard of for someone to do this, but most people don't bother to take the extra classes. I figured I might as well get started on some of the PhD requirements so when I decided to move forward, I'd be a step or two ahead.

The reason behind the extension wasn't just a medical/logistical one, Irina was convinced that if I could get my story written and have some extra time to do the editing and revising, that it would be ready to shop around immediately. It would be more enticing for a publisher to take it on if it was well-polished. "After all," Irina had said, "who doesn't want a perfectly polished diamond thrown in their lap? No one wants to slog through the shit to get to it; if it's pristine right away, it's more attractive."

I love Irina.

After spending the past couple of days running around like a madman and meeting with his new therapist, Scott, Jaden was quick to pass out when I put him to bed. I didn't even get a full chapter read to him before he was snoring lightly and sucking his thumb.

I wondered if his thumb sucking was new or an old habit. Most seven year-olds were beyond that—or at least I thought so. Maybe it was a security thing. Either way, it was adorable.

Watching him up and running around amazed me. After spending more than two weeks in bed, with a life-threatening injury you'd think he'd be slow to get around, but not him. Rose said his legs were a little wobbly at first, but that didn't stop him in the least.

This little boy had the soul of a warrior.

I curled up on the cot after getting some quality work done and dozed, or so I thought. Turns out, I was dead to the world because I didn't hear Jaden when he got up and left his bed.

When I opened my eyes and realized he was gone, I panicked. I checked the bathroom but he wasn't there, so I ran out to the nurses' station only to find the night staff crowded around Lily's door.

Annie noticed me and motioned for me to join them. "You'll never believe this, Bella," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"What is it? Is Lily okay? Have you seen Jaden?"

"Just listen."

I moved closer to the door and had to cover my mouth to keep my gasp quiet. I could hear the faint sound of a child's voice speaking, no—wait, reading. I peeked around the corner to see Jaden curled up in bed with Lily reading to her and explaining things as he read.

"Your daddy didn't say if you were afraid of Dementors or not. Can you squeeze my hand once if you are, twice if you're not? Just so you know, it's okay to be afraid, but I promise they are only make believe and they can't hurt you—only bad people can hurt you and we'll protect you. Me and Chocolate are here and so's your daddy. He's a good daddy, not like mine…" he trailed off for a moment, then began again. "So, if you're scared, squeeze one time, twice if you're not."

There was silence until he laughed. "Twice! Good. I knew you were tough. Just so you know, I'll still protect you. If you get scared, squeeze my hand again and I'll stop, okay?"

I'm assuming she squeezed his hand at some point because he continued to read.

I pulled Annie back into the hall. "How long has he been there?"

Pulling out a Mickey Mouse pocket watch, she looked at it and smiled. "About an hour. We went to check on her and found him in there singing to her. We were shocked because he's refused to speak to anyone for days."

"Should I take him back to his room?"

She shook her head. "No, please don't. Based on what he's been saying about her squeezing his hand, she seems to be responding to him more than to her father or anyone else. I don't see the harm in it. Besides, he's leaving us tomorrow and I think it's good for both of them—he's talking to her and she's reacting—it's a win/win situation."

"Okay," I replied, yawning. "Do you mind if I go sleep for a bit? Please let me know if you need me."

"We will. Sweet dreams, Bella."

It was Emmett's violent shaking that pulled me out of my sweet dream of Jaden and Lily playing like two normal children.

"Where the hell is Jaden, Bella?"

I blinked at the blurry clock. "Six a.m., Em? Why are you here so early?"

"Answer my question, Bella! Where is he?"

Stretching, I yawned my answer. "Probably with Lily. He snuck over there last night and the nurses found him singing and reading to her. We left him there because, well, he was actually speaking to her and she was responding to him."

Emmett's face blanched as he sat on the bed. "He's talking?"

Although I was annoyed by my rude awakening, I couldn't be mad at Emmett, and seeing him looking so forlorn wasn't making it easier. I stood and moved over to sit beside him. "He's talking to Lily. We don't know if he knows that we heard him last night, so don't pressure him to speak if he doesn't want to; it might make him regress. Maybe he's more comfortable speaking to her because she can't talk back, she doesn't ask him to talk about things he's not ready to face. So, can you go easy on him?"

Em nodded then exhaled loudly. "I wish I could have heard it."

I hugged him, kissing the top of his head. "You'll hear him soon enough. So, I'll ask again, why are you here so early?"

"I brought him some new clothes and wanted to give him a bath or a shower before we leave. He also has to see Dr. Singh, Dr. Scott, and Zafrina before he's discharged.

He looked at me fearfully. "Holy shit, Bells, I'm taking him home today. I hope we're ready for this."

"You'll be fine. We'll all be fine. Mistakes will be made, but keep in mind that trial by fire is quite often the best way to learn."

Peter knocked quietly before coming in, his eyes red and wet. "Emmett…Bella…I can't even…there are no words…"

I moved over to guide him to sit beside Emmett on the bed. "What is it, Peter?"

"The nurses told me about what Jaden did last night, so I wasn't surprised to see them together in her bed. I was, however," he sobbed once, then let out a strange laugh, "surprised to see her eyes opened when I entered the room."

My heart just about exploded and my skin broke out in goose bumps. "What? Really?"

He began to sob and laugh at the same time as he continued. "My baby opened her eyes for the first time in four months. I mean, her eyes had been open off and on, mostly as a reflexive action, but this wasn't like the other times—she heard me, her eyes tracked my movements.

"She's still in there! The nurses said she was answering his questions last night by squeezing his hand!" Peter grabbed our hands. "Bella, Emmett, this means SO much to me! You understand the enormity of this better than anyone, and I'm so glad you're here."

Emmett and I were both crying as he spoke. I couldn't help it. I hugged Peter and was quickly followed by Emmett.

"Dude, this is HUGE!" Em choked out. "I remember when Bella started responding like that. Now's the time to stimulate her all the fucking time. I'm so happy for you!"

I felt something tugging on my shirt and found it to be a very sleepy-looking Jaden. I picked him up and pulled him into the fray where we all took turns hugging him. Poor Peter sobbed all over his pajamas.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jaden. Thank you for helping my baby find her way back."

The little boy looked at us, confused. "I'll tell you later," I whispered into his ear.

* * *

**A happy chapter, right? There's been too much sad/angry/nasty stuff lately. **

**I wanted to thank everyone for the support and the love I've been receiving through this horrible time I'm having. As of today I'm STILL not back in my apartment, but the cleaners are there, FINALLY! I'm one step closer to going home.**

**The support I've received from everyone has really been what's been keeping me going, and helping me focus on the good instead of the bad. I will admit that I had a shitty day yesterday, but again, my ff friends from Twitter, Facebook, and here all rallied around me and you all got me through it.**

**I wish I could hug you all or send you all a card to thank you. Instead I will do my best to keep this story fresh, interesting and something you'll continue to love.**

**As always, a huge thank you to Minna and Katmom, who beta faithfully for me. I also want to shout out Nikka, Stef, BlackHale, Mandy Pants, Schmitty, Sherriola, LJ Summers, lambcullen, Twilight Mom of Two, Tyra, a gazillion other people, and last but not least, Alice Sweetcheeks-who blows sunshine up my ass like no one else. Thanks for being my life raft. I love you guys.**

**And to Sophie...there are no words for everything you've done. I wish I could repay you somehow. Knuckles and I both love you!**


	10. Chapter 9

**It must be Thursday again. My, how time flies.**

**I'll just thank Katmom and Minnakoda for their help and let you get on with the reading. **

* * *

_**Jaden**_

I woke up in Lily's bed when the sun was shining in my eyes. Mr. Peter wasn't in the room yet, so I thought it must still be early. Maybe I could sneak back into my room without anyone noticing I was gone at all—they would likely be worried if they knew I left. After saying bye to Lily and promising I would be back soon, I hopped down and tiptoed back into my room, where I found Mr. Emmett, Miss Bella, and Mr. Peter all crying.

I hoped they weren't too mad at me for getting out of bed, but I couldn't sleep. Miss Bella was snoring on the little bed Miss Maria brought in and I remembered what Mr. Edward had said about Miss Bella falling down if she got too tired, so I didn't want to wake her up. Instead, I crawled out of bed and went for a pee. Boy, it sure burns when I go, but Dr. Singh said that would go away real soon. I really hoped he was right because there is nothing fun about feeling like you've got fire coming out of your willy.

Why do they call it a willy anyway? It's a penis, right? Hm…maybe I should ask Mr. Emmett sometime.

Miss Annie and Mr. Chris were busy at the nurses' desk, so I snuck past them down to Lily's room. Mr. Peter must have gone home because she was all alone. I remembered what Mr. Peter said about reading to her, so I crept back into my room, being sure to be sneaky and super ninja quiet while I grabbed the first book I could find, then ran back into Lily's room.

"Hi, Lily, it's me, Jaden. We met the other day, but I don't know if you remember me. My room is down the hall. I'm sorry that you hurt your head and have to sleep so much. Your daddy said that you might like to have me read Harry Potter books to you. I hope you're okay with _Order of the Phoenix_; it's the first one I grabbed.

"Can I get up on the bed with you?"

I watched her hand twitch, so I took that as a yes. I crawled up and sat beside her, careful of her tubes and stuff.

"Can you squeeze my hand, Lily?" I asked her as I took her hand in mine. It took a second or two, but she squeezed me.

"Awesome! Okay, so one squeeze means yes, two means no, all right?"

One squeeze. I took that as a yes so I talked to her for a few minutes and kind of introduced myself better to her so she wouldn't be scared of stranger danger. I told her a little bit about how Mr. Emmett and Miss Rosie were taking care of me.

"The grownups all think I lost my words, but I just don't want to talk to them about what happened because it scares me, it makes me have nightmares real bad.

"I'm talking to you because you won't ask me about the bad stuff, so you're safe. Besides, you're a kid, and you seem nice enough to me. Do you think we can be friends when you wake up? Maybe you can come play at my new house. You'll like Mr. Emmett, he's awesome and Miss Rosie is really pretty. Your hair is gold like hers. There's also Mr. Jasper and his cowboy talk and Miss Alice who is going to have a baby, and Miss Bella who had a baby but she died, and Mr. Edward who is like a rock star with a scrunchy face, and Missus Esme and Doc Cullen, who are Mr. Emmett's parents. Doc Cullen isn't like the other doctors, though—he doesn't poke me or make me hurt the way Dr. Singh had to.

"Would you like me to sing you some songs? Miss Bella said that Missus Esme used to sing to her when she hit her head and couldn't wake up. She said that it made her feel better. Do you think you would like that? I have to warn you, I'm not very good."

Lily squeezed my hand, so I sang. I sang every song I knew and made some up when I ran out. I finally had to give up, so I picked up the book I brought and started to read to her, stopping every now and then to explain things that she might not understand.

I know I shouldn't have been in there, but I couldn't help it; Lily makes me feel better and it felt good to talk again.

So yeah, the grownups were all crying when I tried sneaking back to my room, and Miss Bella said that she would explain why later. Mr. Peter seemed really happy and he made me promise to come see him and Lily before we left the hospital.

Mr. Emmett said that I needed to take a bath or a shower before we could leave and that I had to see Dr. Singh, Mr. Scott, and Zafrina as well. It was looking like today was going to be a looooong day.

**~!~!~!~**

Actually, it wasn't too bad. Dr. Singh came early and made me pinky swear that I wouldn't go skydiving for at least a month, which was silly because I've never even been on a plane before and don't have any plans on jumping out of one any time soon.

Mr. Scott came to give me some presents. He gave me some new markers and some BIG sheets with words on them and wanted me to draw what I thought of when I saw the words. He said it was like homework and that he wanted me to bring my drawings to show him when I came back next week to see him. I thought that was fair enough and really, drawing isn't homework, drawing is fun. I liked him WAAAAY better than I liked that nasty Heidi the Horrible. I know they are the same kind of doctor, but Mr. Scott made me feel more comfortable, and he didn't push me too hard.

Miss Alice told me that she made me a special place in my new room for doing art and I couldn't wait to see it.

I was sad to say goodbye to Miss Zafrina. I liked her and Miss Maria the most of ALL the people who worked at the hospital. She gave me a big hug and a big shiny balloon. She also said that I could come visit her anytime I wanted and maybe she would come see my new house sometime. I thought that was a great idea.

Miss Maria gave me a card made out of a Popsicle box and I laughed. When I gave her a hug, she squeezed me tight and whispered something to me. "You are a very special little boy, Jaden, and I know you're going through a rough time. Just remember that we all love you very much, okay? You are a GOOD, kind and wonderful boy, and I'm glad you're my friend. Please come and visit us soon, okay?"

I leaned in and whispered back, "Thank you, Miss Maria. I love you too."

I don't think anyone else heard me, at least I hoped not, but I didn't want to leave without telling her thank you. She was my angel—well, not like Mommy, Casey, or Emma are, but my hospital angel and I was going to miss her.

"Want to go see Mr. Peter and Lily while I grab the rest of your stuff?" Mr. Emmett asked.

I nodded and let Miss Maria take my hand and walk me over. Mr. Peter smiled when he saw us.

"Jaden! Did you come to see Lily before you go?"

I nodded again as I let go of Miss Maria's hand to walk over.

"I'll give you some privacy," he said as he left with Miss Maria.

As soon as they were gone, I crawled up on the bed and took Lily's hand. "Hi, Lily. Are you awake?"

Her hand squeezed mine and I gasped when she opened her eyes a little. "Oh! You have the prettiest blue eyes, Lily! They're like Miss Rosie's!"

I waved at her, but I wasn't sure if she was really looking. Mr. Emmett had explained that even though her eyes might open, she wasn't exactly awake.

"So, um, I'm leaving today. I'm getting out of the hospital and moving in with Mr. Emmett and Miss Rosie. They're having a party for me too. I wish you and your daddy could come. I know that I don't know you very well, but I like you, I think we'll be good friends when you wake up."

Lily squeezed my hand really hard and wouldn't let go.

"Ow! I'll come visit, I promise. I'll come whenever I can. I'm not leaving forever; I just can't sleep here anymore. I won't be far.

"When you wake up we'll have a party. A BIG party, and we'll be best friends, I promise. Please don't squeeze so hard, I'll come back, I swear."

She stopped squeezing after a few more seconds. When she did, I leaned over, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and wiped away the tear that was running down her face before I jumped down and ran to my room. I had an idea and I needed to do something before I could leave the hospital for good.

"Ready to go, buddy?" Mr. Emmett asked when I ran in.

I shook my head as I grabbed what I was looking for.

"Where…?"

It only took me a second to run back to Lily's room. I crawled back up onto her bed and put Chocolate in her hand. "This is my favourite friend, Chocolate. He's a moose. I think you might need him more than me right now. So, can you take care of him for me? This way you know I'll always come back because you have him."

I kissed Chocolate's head between his antlers. "I'll miss you, Chocolate, but you need to look after Lily now, okay? I'll be back soon. I love you."

Before I started to cry, because I was sooo close to bawling my eyes out at the thought of leaving Chocolate behind, I ran out of the room, into Mr. Emmett's arms, where he gave me a hug when I started to cry. I didn't even care if he had heard me talking to her either.

"Are you sure?" he asked, rubbing my back.

I nodded. It hurt to let him go, but I would see him and Lily soon.

"Ready to go?"

_As ready as I'll ever be_. Miss Maria wheeled me out to Mr. Emmett's Jeep. Awesome! I always wanted to ride in a big Jeep. Maybe he would take the top off in the summer and we could drive around with the wind in our hair.

I gave Miss Maria one last hug before Mr. Emmett helped me climb into the back and strapped me into my new booster seat. As much as having to use the little kid seats made me feel like a baby, I had to admit that I loved my new one—it had cup holders and it was even covered in camouflage material. It was a real man's booster seat.

"Take care of our boy, Emmett. I'll see you guys in a couple of days. Bye, Jaden!"

I waved to her as Mr. Emmett hopped into the front seat. "Ready back there?"

I nodded.

"Let's go, then."

We drove for a few minutes before we reached a really nice neighbourhood that had a HUGE park and a pool. All the houses were big and VERY different from my old one, which was small and not nearly as new.

"We're here, buddy," Mr. Emmett said quietly.

I looked at the house and saw a lot of balloons and a banner. It said _Welcome Home, Jaden!_

Home.

This wasn't my home, not really. My home is where my mommy makes cookies and sings to me; it's where my stuff is. This was Mr. Emmett's home, not mine.

I sniffled a little and wished for a second that I hadn't left Chocolate with Lily. I was scared and I was sad and everything was about to change.

"You okay?" Mr. Emmett asked.

I shook my head. No, no I'm not.

"There's a lot of people in the house. Do you want to wait a bit? Maybe have the party another day? I totally understand that you're probably freaking out. Do you maybe want to go for a walk to the park and chill out a bit? You're shaking."

Hm…I WAS shaking. The park sounded like a good idea, so I nodded.

He unbuckled me and helped me down to the paved driveway. I looked at the house, silently asking about the party.

"Do you want me to tell them to leave?"

I shook my head. I didn't. I wanted to see his family—just not right this second.

"I'll tell them to hold tight while we go to the park." He pulled out his phone and started pushing buttons. After a few seconds his phone chirped or burped or something and he smiled. No sooner than he had put his phone back in his pocket, Miss Rosie came out onto the front porch and waved and smiled before she started walking toward us. He walked a few steps toward her, took something from her hands, gave her a kiss, and then came back a second or two later with a couple of juice boxes. He popped a straw into one, handing it to me before he crouched down. "Piggyback?"

I took a sip of juice and hopped up on his back, hoping I wouldn't squeeze the box and get him wet. Before I really had a chance to worry too much, we were jogging down the street. It was hard not to laugh as I bumped up and down on his back.

He didn't set me down until we reached the park. I slid down his back and walked to the swings. He grabbed the one beside me and we went back and forth quietly for a while before he started talking.

"I'm sorry, Jaden."

Why was he sorry? What did he do?

"I'm sorry that you're scared and that you have to get used to living someplace new with people who aren't your parents. I wish…I wish you didn't have to go through this.

"I'm sorry that you don't trust me enough to talk to me. I don't know what happened, but I hope you'll tell me someday because I'd like to fix whatever it is."

He sighed loudly and when I saw his face, it made me feel so bad. He looked so sad. I did that. I made Mr. Emmett cry.

When he started to cry harder, I got off my swing and walked over to him, climbing onto his lap and giving him a hug.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Emmett, I didn't mean to make you so sad. It's just that…words make it…hard."

He smiled when he heard me whisper. "You know that you don't have to use _those_ words, right? I mean someday you will need to talk about it to make it better, but you don't have to do it right now.

"If you're not comfortable talking ALL the time, you don't have to. It just makes it hard for us to know when you need something. This is all so new to us that we really need your help to make sure we do a good job. We don't know all your favourite foods, or what your favourite movies are, or when you're hurting if you don't tell us." He wiped the tears from his face. "How about you talk when you're comfortable and we'll go from there. Does that sound good?"

"Yes."

"Please believe me when I say that we all just want to help you."

"I do, Mr. Emmett. I trust you the most."

He smiled. "Thanks, little buddy. So, can you please call me Emmett or Em? You can drop the _mister_."

"I can try, but Mommy always said that it was a sign of respect to use _mister_. I don't want to disrespect you."

"You won't."

We swung back and forth a couple of times before he stopped. "You ready to go to your new home? I realize it's not your _home_ home, but it's where we hope you'll be living for a long time and maybe one day you will be able to call it your home."

I was afraid to ask the next question, but it needed to be asked. "So, you really want me to live with you?"

"Very much. We ALL do. We all love you, buddy, and maybe one day you'll grow to love us too. My mom always says that _home is where you are loved_, so I keep praying that someday you'll think of us as home."

"I love you and your family already. But that doesn't mean I have to talk all the time, does it?"

He shook his head. "No, you don't. It's your call to make when and if you want to talk. Again, if a party is too much for you right now, I can tell them all to go home and come back another day."

"Will there be cake?"

"Yup."

I smiled at him. "Well, let's go, then!"

Mr. Emmett, er, Emmett, piggybacked me back to the big house. It was quiet when we opened the door, and I was afraid they would jump out and scare me, but they didn't. Everyone was sitting in the living room watching TV.

Holy crow! What a HUGE TV it was! It looked like a movie theatre screen. Cartoons were going to look so awesome on that big thing. Maybe living here wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Everyone waved hello and smiled at us, so I waved back before something caught my eye. I kicked at Mr. Emmett…gah…Emmett until he put me down and I walked over to the coat rack—MY coat rack from my old house. They had put it lower on the wall, at _Jaden _level, just like it was at the other house. I touched it to make sure it was real and smiled when I thought about the day my daddy had put it on the wall and pretended to hurt his thumb when he was hammering.

"I hope you don't mind, but we put your stuff around the house as much as we could," Miss Rosie said from behind me. "If you don't like anything or want something moved, please let us know—this is your house too and we weren't sure where to put everything."

I nodded before I turned around to hug her. "Thank you, Miss Rosie," I whispered.

She started to shake, then hiccupped. After a minute, she wiped her eyes, then asked if I wanted to see the rest of the house. We walked from room to room and I noticed that there really WAS something of mine in just about every room.

Miss Alice and Missus Esme met us at my bedroom and they looked really nervous.

"Um, well, Jaden, this is your room. Missus Esme and I did our best and I hope you like it. Please remember that nothing has to stay and everything can be changed if you're not happy with it. Nothing is set in stone, got it?"

I nodded before walking into my new room.

Holy shit.

Oops, didn't mean to curse, but WOW! It was the best room I'd ever seen! It was even better than those cool rooms in the catalogues! It was painted blue, but not normal blue, it was unlike any blue I had ever really seen on a wall before. My name was painted on one wall in really fun letters, like happy letters, and it made me smile.

By the door was a HUGE desk with a nice chair and a ton of art supplies. There was an easel too, which meant that I could paint like a grownup. There was something else on the desk, it was flat, and when I got closer I knew exactly what it was. I looked at the laptop, then at Miss Rosie, then back at the laptop, and back at Miss Alice and Missus Esme. They were all smiling and nodding. I picked up the laptop and hugged it to my chest. My own computer! I never ever thought I'd ever have my very own computer! I set it down gently, afraid of breaking it and started jumping up and down because I really didn't know what else to do. I was so happy!

I ran over by the beds…yes, beds! I finally had bunk beds! There was a cargo net at one end for climbing up, and a slide at the bottom for getting down. The bottom bunk stuck out a bit and Miss Rosie said that it could turn into a couch too.

My new comforters were blue camouflage and soooo cool. I ran over and climbed up the net, flopping onto my new bed and wishing I hadn't. Ouch! I forgot about my kidney being sore.

I must have made a noise when I hurt myself because Miss Rosie ran over and looked worried. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and let go of my sore side. She smiled and kissed my cheek. "You're too excited to care right now, aren't you?"

I grinned at her so hard I thought my cheeks would crack.

"Want to come with me? I want to show you some other stuff."

Miss Rosie stepped back as I made my way toward the slide at the foot of the bed and slid down. Man, that was FUN!

Taking my hand, Miss Rosie led me to a door. "This is your own bathroom, buddy. You don't have to share it with anyone, it's all yours. You won't have to worry about dealing with Emmett's stinky butt now."

I laughed so hard I hurt my side again. Not wanting to show it, I pretended to be interested in the stuff on the shelves under the sink, which were full of bubble bath and REALLY cool tub toys.

"Emmett thought you might like to have some boats to race in the tub. Don't be surprised if he comes in here and tries to snag them from you. I think he bought them more for himself if I'm being honest."

I turned and nodded at her, wanting her to understand that I was happy. I could have a lot of fun in my big new tub with these toys.

When we came out of the bathroom, I saw something in the corner that I had missed. Beside a super cool egg-shaped chair was my toy box from the old house. I walked over, got down on my knees and stared at it. Were my old toys in there, or would it be all new ones?

"Jaden? You okay?" Miss Rosie got down on the floor with me, sitting with her legs crossed like she was sitting on the story mat in our classroom.

I leaned over so I was resting my head on her arm. "Yeah."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No, please stay. I'm just…"

Her voice was quiet when she took the words out of my mouth. "Scared?"

"Yeah."

"Open it up, sweetie. I think you'll be happy with what's inside."

I moved toward it and slowly opened the top. Miss Rosie was right! I WAS happy. It was my old toys and books.

I hugged my toy chest and sighed as I breathed in the smell of home. "Thank you."

"There are two more bins in the closet with more of your toys. We kept the shelves in your room clear so you could put them where you want. This is YOUR room, sweetie, and if you want to change ANYTHING at all, just tell us and we'll do it."

I tried to make sense of it all—my old life and this new life all mixed together. Maybe someday I'd understand it all.

_**Rosalie**_

Esme and Alice must have left when I was so caught up in what was going on with Jaden. I watched as he stared at the contents of his toy chest. He picked up a couple of toys, holding them to his chest and smiling, some he smelled and smiled, while others seemed to make him sad.

Emmett knocked quietly on the door before entering. "How're my two favourite people doing?"

I smiled at him as he sat beside me, his hand quickly finding mine. I gave him a squeeze.

"We're good, I think. How're you doing, Jaden? Are you happy with your room?"

He turned and crawled over to sit in my lap. "Yeah, I like it a lot. Thank you." His voice was strained and whisper-quiet when he spoke. "I'm tired. Will people be mad if I take a nap?"

Emmett leaned in and hugged us both. "Nope. If you want to snooze, you snooze. We'll all still be here when you wake up."

"Miss Rosie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay?"

I held him closer. "Of course."

"We're going to have a barbecue for dinner. Is there something you want? Burgers? Hot dogs? Chicken? A buffalo?"

Jaden shook in my arms as he giggled at Emmett's silliness. I had a feeling, though, that Em would have hunted down a herd of buffalo if Jaden had asked for it.

"It doesn't matter, I like it all," he whispered, yawning.

Emmett hugged us again, placing a sweet kiss on each of our heads. "Have a good sleep, you two."

"Love you."

He leaned in for a proper, but very chaste kiss. "Love you, too."

Emmett left us there on the floor, where we sat in comfortable silence for a moment or two. "So, do you want to curl up on the bottom bunk?" I asked, running my fingers gently through his hair.

When the little guy nodded, I picked him up and carried him over and laid him down. I grabbed one of his non-Chocolate stuffed animals and Emmett's old quilt before settling in with him. He sighed contentedly as he curled into me, wrapping his casted arm around my waist, then sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"I'm glad you're talking again, Jaden," I said, as I began rubbing his back.

I heard a wet sucking sound as he removed his thumb from his mouth. "Shh, don't tell everyone. Mr. Emmett…I mean, _Emmett_ said that I didn't have to talk if I didn't want to. I don't want to talk to EVERYONE yet. Please don't tell on me."

"No, of course not. It's your voice, sweetie, and I'll respect your choice not to speak to everyone. I'm just saying that I'm glad it's back. I'm also saying that I'm glad you chose to come live with us. It makes me so happy."

"Mm," he hummed as he put his thumb back in his mouth. "Me too."

It didn't take even thirty seconds for his breathing to even out and for him to fall asleep. Occasionally he'd stir a little, give a couple of pulls on his thumb, then settle down again. He slept peacefully for the first time in a while, or at least that I had seen.

My mind drifted to thoughts of a future with Jaden as a permanent fixture in our lives and how he was going to adapt to his new _family_. Would he ever be able to call us something other than _mister _and _miss_? I noticed he was trying to drop the formality with Emmett, but he was struggling. It would likely take us a while to get him over that. Maybe when and if he felt we were more family than his teacher and his teacher's fiancée he would find it easier to be less formal.

I was still reeling over the fact that he was home with us now, that we had temporary guardianship, and hopefully will be granted permanent status when we got the requirements of the state covered. From there we can adopt him, if he wants us to, and we can officially call him ours. The fear of losing him would be gone and we could all finally breathe a little easier. Just knowing that one phone call or knock on the door could end this made me nervous. I was too invested in him; losing him would kill Emmett and me both.

Although I was scared shitless of something happening to Jaden, I knew for a fact that he completed us. He would make me and Emmett stronger in so many ways, and the more I got to know him, the more I realized that I was NOT my mother and that I had a huge capacity to love and to do so unselfishly. I would NEVER treat Jaden like an accessory, like a Coach bag, and I would do what I could to make sure that he never felt like he wasn't good enough.

I would love him unconditionally.

I already did.

Fiercely.

* * *

**That's a whole lotta Jaden. I hope you survived the cuteness overload.  
What're your thoughts on how Rosie's reacting to everything that's going on?**

**So...a little update on my situation...I might actually be moving home this weekend! Woo Hoo! I can't wait to get back in my own space where I can spend lazy Sundays writing this story and curling up with Knuckles for a cuddle. Being displaced has been hard but I've learned a lot and have been blessed with a great family and friends to get me through this.**

**Including you guys.**

**Thank you.**

**Please don't forget to support Fandom for Preemies! I have the anthology and it's IMPRESSIVE to say the least. For a $5 donation to the March of Dimes, you can receive this mammoth anthology (almost 1300 pages long!). Go to fandomforpreemies DOT blogspot DOT com for more details. It really is a great cause, and those of you who have read my story Road Maps will likely be interested in my submission.**

**Also, I've posted my O/S for the Countdown to Halloween, _Emmett's Awesome Halloween Extravaganza_ whish is now posted here on my FFN account. Plot summary: _Emmett has been plotting and planning for a while on how to scare the crap out of his friends. Join them on this particularly spooky Halloween for a little fun._**


	11. Chapter 10

**Another Thursday, another chapter.**

**This one may make you a little teary, but not because it's full of sads, but because it's got some touching sweet moments...**

**...and some other touching moments that are hopefully more sexy than sweet.**

**You get Edward POV for the whoooole chapter. That should make some of you happy.**

**Thanks Minna and Katmom. You make this worthwhile.**

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_**Edward**_

The party at Emmett's was a strange one, but good nonetheless. It was a given that Jaden would be overwhelmed and would tire quickly, so it gave us all a chance to sit and talk—just us grownups—about everything that was to come and maybe have a chance to just get caught up on our own lives.

We had all been keeping in contact, often crossing paths at the hospital, but with most of us writing exams and finishing up with school, our visits were often brief and most conversations revolved around Jaden. It felt as if we hadn't been together in months and I was really enjoying having everyone around again.

Mom handed drinks out to everyone as we lounged in the spacious living room at Em's new house. Quiet music played in the background as everyone decompressed. Well, that's what it felt like—it was if everyone took their first deep breath in ages when Jaden walked through the front door and didn't freak out. It had to be hard on him—I had no idea how he was managing to deal with everything.

"So," Mom said, smiling, "it feels good to have all my babies under one roof. Edward, are you done with school now?"

"Yeah, I have to fulfill a placement requirement in the fall, and then I'll be certified to teach in the new year."

"That's a little unorthodox, isn't it sweetie? I thought most placements took place in the spring."

"It was all the extra classes I took last year; it bumped me ahead of my class. So, instead of graduating next spring, I'll be graduating in the fall convocation."

"Oh, speaking of graduations; Alice, Jasper and Rosalie, you are all getting your degrees in a couple of weeks. Do you want a party?" Mom asked, looking at Alice and Jasper.

Alice rubbed her belly gently and laughed. "I'm always up for a party. I just hope that Sunnybubbles will be."

Emmett put a bowl of chips and dip down on the dark wood coffee table, sighing. "Another dry party—man, I thought being an adult meant we'd have some great rip-roaring keggers in our backyards while we barbecue and play Rock Band. Now it's all about leaky boobs, due dates and doctor's appointments."

"Emmett, you're essentially a father now, the days of keggers are over," Bella scolded, "but it doesn't mean we can't have a fun party with barbecue and Rock Band. I'm sure Jaden would love to play; he seems very musical."

"Being a parent isn't the end of the world, son," Mom added. "Think of the wonderful things Jaden will bring to your life."

"He already has, Ma," Emmett replied.

"So, are we all agreed that we will have a graduation party?" Mom asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Where?"

"Here. This place is big enough for everyone. Alice, are your folks coming?"

She smiled. "Yup. Oh, I can't wait for you guys to meet them. They're a real piece of work, aren't they, Bella?"

My girl nodded, chuckling. "They sure are. Em, Ali's mom is going to eat you up."

Mom turned to look at Bella. "Bella? How're you doing these days? I'm sorry we haven't had a lot of time together."

Jasper looked at Emmett, then Emmett jerked his head toward the kitchen. "Uh, Ma, while you guys get caught up and talk about mucous plugs and floppy snootches, we men are going to go get the barbecue fired up and the food ready."

The girls waved us off as they began to speak animatedly. I was thankful for the distraction and a chance to down a couple of beers away from our girls, neither of whom were allowed to drink.

Emmett strode purposefully toward the fridge, grabbing three beers, tossing one to each of us. Jasper and I were both quick to crack them open and pound them back.

"God," Jasper croaked before belching, "that was the best beer I've had in ages. Actually, that's the ONLY beer I've had in ages. Between not drinking around Alice and your kids running me ragged, I generally don't have much time or energy to even pick up a bottle."

"There's more where that came from. So, who wants to be on burgers?"

"I will," I volunteered. "I know how much you hate putting your hands in it. Is the grill hot? Want to put on the veggies? Maybe get the steaks on?"

Emmett pulled some plates out of the fridge. "I'm on it. Jazz, do you want to whip up some punch?"

Jasper smiled. "Sure do."

We worked in silence until Emmett walked over to the island where we were doing our prep work.

"Um…I…thanks, guys. I can't thank you enough for helping us out with everything. Jazz, you have been such a huge help for taking over my class. I can take my time going back because I know they're in good hands.

"Edward, I'm sorry that I've been a dick to you and I can't thank you enough for not riding my ass about it. Thanks too, for letting us have Bella. I know it's probably been driving you nuts that she's been gone so much, but I don't know if you'll ever understand what a godsend she's been. She's good at this mothering thing, she knows what to say to make him feel better when we are stumbling around in the dark. I really don't know what we would have done without her."

Emmett walked over to the fridge and grabbed more beer. He raised his bottle. "To the two best friends a guy could have. To brothers!"

We clinked bottles and drank deeply. To brothers, indeed.

My mind was left to wander as I squished my hands through the ground meat, mixing in the spices and my own special secret ingredients. What WOULD have happened if Em didn't have our support? How would Alice and Jasper make out? How would I have survived those dark years alone?

I can't speak for the others, but for me it's clear: I wouldn't have survived. Emmett had carried Bella through HER dark days then helped me through the latter part of MINE.

He helped Jasper get a job to better himself and to help him, Alice, and their unborn baby have a chance at the life they deserve.

If we backed out on him now, in his time of need, we would be committing a grievous crime against him. It was our turn to rally behind him, Rosalie, and our newest family member, Jaden.

I had to deal with the resentment I had toward the little boy and I needed to do it soon. I had to stop blaming him for Bella's interest in him, her need to focus on someone else's child instead of getting us to a place where we could have one of our own again. She was still fighting me on it, saying that we still had work to do. Sometimes it felt as if she was using that as an excuse, and that she didn't want another child with me.

Note to self: Talk to Dr. D about this at our next session, then maybe bring it up during group.

"Yo! Edward! I think the shit is mixed up enough," my brother shouted from behind me.

I looked down at the gooey mess in the bowl. "Yeah, I guess it is. Sorry, I spaced out a little."

He looked at me, concerned. "You okay?"

I smiled at him. "Yeah, just thinking about shit. It's all good. So, uh, how many burgers am I making?"

He examined the contents of the bowl then shrugged. "Whatever—you know that leftovers don't last long around here."

"How's the new grill?" Jasper asked as he dumped ice into his concoction. I swear he could be a mixologist to the stars if he decided not to pursue teaching. I couldn't wait to try his latest creation.

"Fuck, man, I feel like I could challenge Bobby Flay on this baby. Come on out and I'll introduce you to the hot new woman in my life."

"Don't let Rose hear you say that!" I called out as they went out onto the large deck at the back of the house.

I had to admit that Emmett's new house was a beauty. It was only a couple of years old so it was pristine. It sat on the end of a cul-de-sac of modern, high-end houses in a gated community, where they had half an acre of land that had been well-landscaped, not to mention the two-level deck that led to a pool.

Mom and Dad had paid for a top-of-the-line jungle gym to be placed in the back yard. A crew had been hired to do it, but they were running out of time so Jasper and I helped them whenever we could. It was an impressive structure with swings, two slides, a suspension bridge between two towers big enough to hold several kids each, rope ladders and cargo nets, a fireman's pole and a sandbox.

Jaden was going to be the most popular kid in the neighbourhood based on his yard alone.

The timing of the house purchase had been perfect—a former colleague of Dad's had been offered a teaching position at Johns Hopkins and had to move quite quickly. He and his wife were more than happy to give them a great deal as they had no emotional attachment to it, and they didn't really need the money, not to mention he owed Dad for something.

The pair of them had fallen in love with the massive four bedroom, four bathroom home the moment they laid eyes on it. Rosie loved the aesthetic, and the yard reminded Emmett of home. Much like our yard back in Forks, this led to a forested area intersected by a small creek. "This is where we're going to raise our babies, Rosie," he'd said. "It's perfect."

The pool, workshop and _man cave_ just sweetened the deal. Dr. Abernathy, who had set up the most ridiculously amazing theatre and games rooms ever, was more than happy to include the furnishings and equipment in the sale price. Although Rose and Em had bought some new furniture, they hadn't needed to buy much.

Now they could be a family here, or at least try. Emmett would have someone to play with and Rose had a place to call her home and raise her boys.

I had noticed a HUGE change in Rosalie. Where she had often come off as being cold and somewhat indifferent, she was now a lot more engaging and warm. Jaden had unlocked something in her and she now radiated with a motherly glow.

"Edward! Quit daydreaming and bring out the damn burgers!"

Shit—spaced out again. I grabbed the plate of patties I'd managed to make while I was stuck in my head and headed toward the deck. I spotted a piece of paper stuck to the fridge and took it with me.

"Em? What's this checklist about?"

He took the burgers from me and began slapping them onto the enormous gas grill. You could feed an army with that thing.

"Oh, it's for the home study. This is all shit we have to do to be in compliance with DSS."

I looked down the list and was surprised by a few items on the list. "Medical report, autobiography, tax returns…a disaster preparedness plan? Wow, they don't miss anything, do they?"

He shrugged as he drew deeply off his beer. "Would you hand a kid to someone who hadn't been thoroughly checked out? Shit! That reminds me, I need to drag Rosie in for a full physical this week. Mom has to get hers faxed down too, since she'll be staying a while."

"Is there anything we can help with?" Jazz asked as he looked over the checklist.

"I might get one of you guys to read over the autobiography and help me draft the disaster plan."

"Just let us know, Em; we've got your back."

My brother swallowed hard, nodding. "I know. Thanks."

The screen door opened slowly and a little boy poked his messy head out, smiling when he spotted us.

"Got shoes and a jacket, buddy?" Em asked.

Jaden nodded, sticking out a leg and wiggling his sneaker-clad foot.

Emmett smiled and gesticulated grandly. "Well then, come on out! Join the rest of the boys. Hey, maybe Edward can take you around the yard and show you the present Missus Esme and Doc Carlisle put back there for you."

I held out a hand, cocking my right eyebrow at him. He reached out tentatively, but squeezed hard when he finally made contact.

"You ready?"

He nodded.

"Alright, follow me please," I said formally, extending an arm to him. He giggled as he reached up to hold onto my forearm.

I unlatched the top gate and laughed when I saw his reaction to the nirvana spread out before him. "Wow," he whispered.

"Yeah, it IS pretty wow isn't it?"

Jaden tugged on my hand so hard that I nearly fell down the stairs. Emmett, Jasper and the girls were all laughing as the little guy dragged me down the first set of stairs, across the lower deck, and to the next gate. As soon as I opened it, he let go of my hand and sprinted toward the jungle gym.

"Be careful!" Emmett yelled from above. "Don't fall and break your other kidney!"

I couldn't stop laughing at my brother's sudden shift from goofball man-boy to overbearing parent.

My attention turned to watch Jaden sliding down a corkscrew slide, a big grin on his face. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he took off toward the rope ladder, scaling it quickly for someone in a cast, and disappearing into one of the towers.

A window flipped up and out popped his smiling face. He waved for me to join him. I had to admit that my time with him had been limited because of school and my, er, frustration with the situation, so I was a little taken aback that he would want me up there with him. It would be a good chance for us to bond a little, so I climbed up the ladder and joined him on the floor.

"Pretty cool, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," he whispered. This was the second time he'd spoken to me today and I was still amazed, since he hadn't really said much to anyone else.

We sat in silence as he took everything in—his head turning and his eyes darting everywhere.

"Mr. Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not REALLY talking yet, I just need to talk to you about something, okay? Can you promise not to plant any nightmare seeds?"

"Nightmare seeds? What are…" I was stopped short by a very intense look from him. "Yes, of course, no nightmare seeds. Can you please let me know when you don't want to talk about something?"

He chewed on his thumbnail for a moment. "Mr. Edward, are Mr. Emmett…er…Emmett and Miss Rosie REALLY okay with me living here?"

"Yes, we ALL are."

He looked me in the eye. "Are YOU? Sometimes it feels like you…don't like me. You didn't visit me like they did. I mean, I love the music you gave me. Miss Alice and I like to draw when we listen to it, but sometimes you look at me funny. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

Christ, this kid is too observant for his own good. He's going to know straight off if I try to lie. "Well, Jaden, one of the reasons I haven't been around is because of school. I've been very busy. It's not that I didn't want to be there…"

"Is it true that I make you sad? That I make you think about Emma?" He was very quiet when he spoke, it was barely a whisper.

I patted my lap for him to come sit. This was going to be hard for me and I needed to have him close. "It's not you exactly, Jaden. I like you—a lot. We have a lot in common and I hope that we can be good friends. It's just that sometimes when I look at you," I shifted him so we were able to look at one another, "I wonder if Emma would be like you, if you guys would have been friends, if she would sit and laugh at SpongeBob with you, and, well, sometimes it makes my heart hurt a little. I miss her a lot, Jaden. I'm sure you understand that.

"So, no, it's not you, it's me."

Did I just say that to a seven year-old?

"But now, Jaden, I look at you and I am happy because you make all the people I love so happy, and I know in my heart that you and Emma would have been best friends if she was still alive, and maybe it's time for me to let that go."

"Do I make you happy too?" he asked, frightened.

I hugged him tightly. "Yes, very much."

"Good, because I like you, Mr. Edward."

I couldn't help the smile that etched itself on my face as I held the little boy in my arms. We hugged in silence until he started humming a tune that I didn't recognize.

"What song is that?"

"It's one I made up—actually, me and Mommy made it up."

"I'd love to learn to play it on my piano. Let me know if you want to try sometime. Maybe we can record it—it's too beautiful not to let other people hear it."

"I like to hum it to Sunnybubbles. It makes her happy."

I rested my cheek on his head and sighed happily. "I'm sure it does."

Soft crunching gravelly footsteps moved toward our hiding place. "Supper's ready, you guys!" Bella called out from below.

Jaden gave me a big hug. "Don't tell," he whispered.

"I won't breathe a word."

We climbed out and took turns sliding down the fireman's pole. Bella was smiling and holding her hands out to us. We each took one and made our way back to eat dinner with our family.

Dinner went really well, except for when Emmett biffed a dinner roll at my head, which sent Jaden into gales of laughter, which caused him to choke on his milk a little. It would have been nice if Dad could have been there with us, but he was saving up some vacation time for the upcoming graduations. He would be joining us in a couple of weeks and would stay as long as he could possibly manage. I knew that he and Mom were missing each other, but she refused to leave Emmett and Rose until she was sure that Jaden was well-settled and they had completed their home study requirements.

Bella read to Jaden when it was time for him to go to bed, and as soon as I was able to steal her away, I did. I held her hand in the car, relishing the quiet, and feeling my need for more adult alone time growing with each mile we drove. It felt like it had been ages since we'd last made love or even fooled around. She'd been so tired lately after being at the hospital or at the university that most nights she flopped into bed and passed out immediately. In a way it was good because it gave me more time to work on my compositions, and a place to channel my sexual frustration.

I was also feeling a little guilty after my conversation with Jaden just hours before. Not only did I want to make it up to him somehow, I also needed to make it up to Bella. He wasn't the only victim of my resentment and frustration.

Bella smiled over at me. "Tonight was good. I think Jaden's going to settle in with us just fine."

I squeezed her hand. "Yeah, I think so too. He's a special kid."

"What were you two getting up to in the jungle gym?"

"I'm sorry, Bella, but what happens in the tower stays in the tower."

She laughed, swatting at me. "Oh, so we've been reduced to _bros before hos_ have we? I get it. I know where I stand."

"I love you, Bella." I lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I'm sorry."

I pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. Taking a deep breath and exhaling loudly, I gathered the courage to continue. "I'm sorry that I've been so resentful of Jaden and have taken it out on both of you."

The silence in the Volvo was about to make me crazy when she finally spoke. "Edward, I really understand what you're saying—I get it, I've had moments like that myself, but I've come to grips with it and I've decided to try to make his life as wonderful as possible because unlike Emma, he ALMOST lost his life, but he didn't. He's got so much stacked against him that we need to take any of that hostility, frustration, sadness and anger and channel it into giving him the life that Emma couldn't have.

"I know he's not Emma, I know he's not _ours_, but in a way, I almost feel like Emma sent him to us to show that life does go on. It's not his fault that she died, Edward. He doesn't deserve our anger. He needs our love." Bella sighed. "I don't know if that made any sense at all, but it's how I feel."

I turned in my seat so I could hold her face in my hands. "I know that now. I get it. I think you're right."

She smiled. "Let's go inside, baby. I want to kiss the hell out of you and it's too uncomfortable in here."

Bella didn't have to ask me twice. I jumped from the car, raced to her side, and dragged her from the yard to the house. The moment we got in, I was pushed up against the wall and Bella plastered herself to me. Our mouths moved erratically, breaths coming out as unsynchronized panting and our clothes miraculously disappeared.

Okay, that's a lie—we tore our clothes off as we frantically tried to find some sort of rhythm. My lips sought slow, slippery caresses, while hers fought frenzied and frenetically for something more feral and urgent.

"I need you, Edward," she groaned as she rubbed herself against my cock. "Here—fuck me here."

"In the…uhhhh…mudroom?"

"Please," she growled as she nipped at my nipple.

"Oh, uh, okay."

I reversed our positions so she was against the wall, her body trembling in anticipation as she stared at me through lust-heavy eyes. My own eyes slowly raked in her quivering body, her breasts jiggling with each labored breath, her nipples were hard as beautiful pink diamonds and just begging to be suckled. My mouth gave in and descended; my tongue flattening as I took a long, firm lick from the underside of her beautiful breast, up over the bumpy terrain of the puckered areola to the nipple, across the peak, and upward until I reached her delicate collarbone.

The trembling in her body shifted to full-on quaking. Afraid her legs might give out, my hands moved from one hip, beneath her milky thigh, to the sensitive skin behind her knee. I hitched it up over my waist, my cock grazing the wetness of her sex. We shuddered simultaneously before Bella took the initiative to thrust her hips until my tip nestled in her warmth.

"More," she cried out.

I dipped a little further, but pulled back. Bella's protesting grunts were fuel for the fire burning within me; a fire created by lust, love, hope, and a burning desire to consume her.

Without warning, I plunged forward until our bodies were pressed impossibly close. I pulled back before I could get lost in her silky depths and come too soon. I pumped hard, in and out of her, again and again, her head banging against the wall as I pushed her harder and harder. Her other leg gave out, buckling, so I grabbed it, wrapped it around my waist with the other and prayed that she would come soon because at this new level of penetration I wouldn't last long.

Bella's hands found my hair as she clung to me, crying out nonsensical oaths as I moved a hand down to stroke her clit. Manual stimulation was still the best, and sometimes only way, for her to reach orgasm. My stupid male ego insisted that she get an orgasm with every ride, so I had pretty much mastered the art of, how did Emmett put it… buffing the button?

When my thumb grazed her swollen clit, she contracted her muscles, squeezing me. "Yes, please. Harder!"

One of her hands joined mine for a moment as we stroked her together. Our eyes connected and I was thrown for a loop by the love that burned in the brown eyes before me.

"I love you, Bella, God…" my emotions threatened to swallow me whole, but she grounded me again.

"I love you too, Edward. Now quit diddling me and fuck me like you mean it!"

Wow. My rhythm faltered momentarily before the shock of her words wore off. Sometimes Bella could be VERY bold. I removed my hand from her, moving it to the wall to brace myself as I pounded her into oblivion. My eyes darted between her face, contorted with euphoria, and where we were joined.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" she cried out as her body clenched, tightened, and constricted around me. This fueled my frantic thrusts until I felt the buildup finally cresting, my cock pulsing powerfully inside her.

After a few very ragged breaths, she opened her heavy eyes and smiled at me a little. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi back."

Her arms moved slowly to circle my shoulders, pulling me closer for a kiss. It was softer, sweeter, as our tongues swirled slowly.

"Marry me, Bella."

It came out before I realized what I was doing. We had discussed it before, but I had never _officially_ asked, figuring if we were just going to wait a while, then what was the point of asking. God, what if she freaks out?

Soft hands in my hair reminded me that I wasn't alone. "Edward? Did you just propose?"

I rested my forehead on hers, closing my eyes in an attempt to prevent the inevitable heartache of her refusal.

"Baby, look at me, please."

After a moment of hesitation, I slowly allowed my lids to move up. Her brown eyes were wet with unshed tears, but they were smiling.

"Yes, Edward. I will marry you."

Did I hear her correctly? "What did you say?"

"I said yes."

* * *

**What is it with these people and post-coital proposals?**

**As always, I LOVE to hear what you're thinking.**

**For those wondering, as of today, Nov 11, I am STILL not back in my apartment. Paint fumes are too toxic for my sad lungs at this point, but I'm hoping that maybe by Sunday I'll be able to go back. I'm chilling with Knuckles out at Sophilia Tantrum's for the weekend, which is really the best medicine...an amazing friend and an awesome kitty.**

**Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, so my fellow Canucks, don't forget to take a few moments today to appreciate all that our veterans have done for us.  
Wear your poppies proudly.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Happy Thursday.**

**Stress level on this one is high. Minor tissue warning for the uber-sensitive readers.**

**Lot's o' love to Katmom and Minna (Miss you, kitten! Hope Jamaica is treating you well!)**

* * *

_**Jasper**_

Shit.

We're screwed. Oh good Lord in Heaven, we are so incredibly screwed.

I read the e-mail again, my lunch dancing dangerously in my stomach as I tried to wrap my head around the words on the screen.

_My dear children,_

_Since you, Rosalie, are too busy mooning over that man of yours to call me, and Jasper, I don't know what your excuse is for not returning my calls, I figured this was the best way to get in touch with you both to inform you that your father and I will be coming for your graduation. _

_By the way, thank you ever so much for the invitation. Can you hear the sarcasm dripping? Why do we hear about your matriculation from the University and not you?_

_I do not appreciate the manner in which you ungrateful children have been treating your father and I, especially after all we've given up over the years. It was bad enough you two chose to go to school in Washington State, but for you to not include us in your graduation, well, that, the fruit of my loins, is cold._

_I will contact you with our arrival time. Please make arrangements to pick us up, and book a hotel for our stay, as neither of you likely have accommodations suitable to host guests._

_Regards,_

_Your Mother_

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

Thank goodness school was out for the week because me getting sick in the classroom would not have boded well for anyone. I knew for a fact that once one child threw up we were guaranteed to have a half dozen more toss their cookies.

Oh yes, I learned that lesson the hard way on my first day.

My phone buzzed from inside my messenger bag and I cringed at the thought of telling Alice my news—hell, I didn't want to tell anyone.

"Hi, darlin', I'm heading out in a few minutes. I just wanted to get some things cleaned up so I wouldn't have to come in super early on Monday."

"Okay, but can you meet me at Em and Rosie's place?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. Do you know something about an e-mail? Your sister called me freaking out but I still don't know much more than that—she grabbed Emmett and they're talking in the pool house."

Fuck. "Yeah, I do. We need to talk. I'll be right there—I guess I'll come in on the weekend or early on Monday to clean up."

On the ride to my sister's house, I tried to come up with a plan because Lord knows we were going to need one.

Alice and Jaden were drawing in the kitchen when I arrived. The little guy had settled into his new life quite well—it had been a week since he'd been home and aside from a couple of meltdowns and nightmares, he was adjusting well. For how long? Who knew?

"Hi, guys." I moved to give Alice a kiss. "What are you up to?"

"Drawing," Alice said, smiling a little. The mirth in her smile faded when she looked at me. "Oh God, what is it?"

I nodded toward Jaden, hoping she could find a way for us to talk alone.

"Sweetpea, could you go read or play in your room for a minute? Mr. Jasper and I need to talk."

He nodded, packed up some paper and pencils, and left us alone in the room.

"So?"

"God, Alice, I don't know how to tell you this, but I've got bad news—horrible news, actually."

"Did someone die? Is everyone okay? Tell me, please! You're killing me! What is it?"

I cleared my throat before I locked eyes with her. "Mama Hale is coming."

Her jaw dropped and I watched as her tiny hands moved protectively to guard our baby. "No. Really?"

It pained me to acknowledge the truth. "Yes. Seems the University contacted our parents to congratulate them on our graduation or something, so now they know. Seems she and father will be inflicting us with their presence."

We both turned when the screen door slipped open. My sister and Emmett entered the room and my first instinct was to go to my sister to comfort her. Rosie's blue eyes were terrified and sad; her face did nothing to hide this.

I held out my arms, encouraging her to come to me. Only Alice and Bella understood the severity of this situation; Emmett and Edward had no clue about what was to come.

My twin sister sobbed as I held her. "You should see the e-mail she sent, Jazzy, it's just awful. Why is she doing this? I don't want her here, I don't want her passing judgment and I certainly don't want her to poison Jaden. God, can we do anything to stop this? Please tell me you have a plan."

Esme walked in at that point, unaware that there was a crisis in the kitchen. "Hi, kids, can one of you strong boys grab the…oh dear, what's wrong? Where's Jaden? Is he okay?"

Emmett took the grocery bags from his mother, setting them on the counter. "There's a…er…situation. Rosie and Jazz heard from their mother today."

Esme's jaw dropped as she raised a hand to her chest. "Oh dear, what happened?"

"Oh, Esme," Rosie said, lifting her tear-streaked face from my shoulder. "Mama Hale is coming for graduation."

The wailing began anew and Esme was quick to rush over and pull her into a hug. "Sh, sweetheart, we'll get you through this."

"But you don't understand! The second I see her she'll make me fall apart! I'll turn into an insecure kid again who is afraid of upsetting _mommy_. I've worked too hard to get away from that, to move away from that mindset."

"I'm going to get the groceries if you're okay with my mom, babe," Emmett said, softly as he neared them. When she nodded, he planted a kiss atop her head and whispered something to her. Whatever it was, it made her smile a little.

I felt a tug on my pant leg a few moments later and saw a very worried-looking Jaden.

"Hi, buddy, are you okay?"

A thin finger poking out of a blue cast pointed to my sister. Alice noticed and came over.

"Why don't the three of us go for a walk to the park?" she suggested. "We can let Rose and Esme talk and we can tell you what's going on."

Rosie nodded appreciatively at us. "There are juice boxes in the fridge in case you get thirsty. Don't forget your sweater, Jaden."

He walked over and gave her a hug and a kiss before running back to grab Alice's hand, tugging her toward the door. I grabbed the juice boxes and met them in the foyer where I helped Jaden tie his shoes. I think Velcro straps might have been a better option for shoes for a kid with a cast, but oh well.

Alice and Jaden skipped down the sidewalk while I tried to figure out how to explain Mama Hale to him without inciting fear—he'd been through enough, he doesn't need to be terrified of Cruella DeHale.

I let them play for a bit before calling them over to a picnic table for juice. When everyone was seated and sipping, I began, "So, I guess I should explain to you, Jaden, why Rose was so upset. It has nothing to do with you. You see…well…"

Alice jumped in. "What Jasper is trying to explain is that his mommy, who is also Rosie's mommy because they are twins, is coming for the big graduation. Now normally in most families a visit from your mommy would be a happy thing, but Mama Hale is…well, Mama Hale is a bit of a nasty lady. She isn't at all friendly unless she's being fake, and I think she enjoys making people feel badly. She has said some mean things to Rosie and Jasper in the past and that's why Miss Rosie is so sad right now. She doesn't want her mommy to say nasty things to her or Mr. Emmett, or more importantly, you."

Jaden stomped his foot and humphed loudly.

"I know, sweetie, nobody likes a bully. There's a little more to all of this, but you don't need to worry. We won't let Meany McNasty Mama Hale be mean to you."

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Alice? I do. I really do.

Jaden looked at me, shaking his head sadly. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

I patted my lap, so he crawled over and sat down. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm sorry your mom's nasty. Mine wasn't. She was sweet and pretty and she loved to make me smile, not cry. Mommies aren't supposed to make their babies unhappy; they are supposed to make them feel loved."

Hearing him speak gave me goosebumps, especially hearing him speak about his mother.

"She would like this park, I think. We used to swing a lot and sing."

"What songs did you sing?" Alice asked tentatively.

"Oh," he exclaimed brightly, his eyes lighting up, "we sang EVERYTHING! Nursery rhyme songs, Christmas songs, silly songs, church songs, radio songs. We would swing and sing for hours."

Alice looked over at the swing set. "Want to show me?"

He hopped off my lap, grabbed her hand and took off. I watched them from the picnic table and listened as they began singing _Old MacDonald_, then progressed to _Jingle Bells_, and then some songs I either couldn't quite hear or recognize.

It didn't matter—I was just thrilled to hear him singing, interacting, and hopefully progressing.

I hoped I wasn't overstepping any boundaries, but I pulled out my iPhone, set it to video, and hit record. This was a precious moment that Em and Rosie deserved to see for themselves.

_**Emmett**_

Jasper, Alice, and Jaden had been gone for a while and I hoped it was a good thing. I mean, it WAS good that they tried to shield him from Rosie's distress.

Because she was beyond distressed.

Rosie was inconsolable, that is until Mom calmed her down. It wasn't easy, but eventually Mom convinced her that we would all be here to keep Mama Hale in check. I had to promise a million times that I wouldn't let the bitch get to me, that I wouldn't listen to her lies, and I wouldn't allow her to poison me.

More importantly, she wanted Jaden to be as far away from her as possible. She didn't want to take any chances that she would say something to upset him or cause him to regress any further than he already had.

I heard the front door open and ran over immediately to find Jaden was fast asleep in Jasper's arms.

"They had a little too much fun. Alice is half-asleep in the car," he said, smiling as he handed Jaden over to me. "Sorry we've got to go, but…"

"Nah, it's all good."

He looked over my shoulder. "How's my sister?"

"Sleeping. She exhausted herself. Why don't you give me a call when you get Alice settled and we can talk, strategize."

"Sounds good to me. I'll talk to you soon."

I carried Jaden into the living room and deposited him on the couch with Mom, who was knitting something for Ali's baby.

"Oh, my sweet angel is tired out."

"Yeah, the poor kid is pooped."

Mom smiled at me. "No, sweetheart, I meant YOU. You look exhausted. Why don't you go nap with Rosalie and I'll get dinner ready. Jaden will be fine with me. Go, get some rest."

Exhaling loudly, I rubbed the back of my neck and thought about her offer. "Yeah, I think I will. Thanks, Ma."

I lugged my sorry ass up the stairs and to my bed as fast as I could manage. I didn't even take off my shoes; I just flopped onto the bed beside my girl and passed out.

It was dark when I woke up; Rose was still asleep, so I left her there. She obviously needed the rest.

Downstairs was silent and dark except for the kitchen, where Mom had left the stove light on. I found a note, written by Jaden, directing me to the fridge. By the looks of it, they had made homemade pizza because there were two in there—one big one with an E made of green peppers, and a smaller one with an R made of mushrooms.

I smiled at the special touch they had made with the pizzas, and although they were crudely made, I knew they were made with love.

"Mr. Emmett?"

Turning around, I found Jaden standing in the doorway, tears running down his cheeks.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong? Bad dream?"

"No, I'm just sad tonight."

"Want to talk about it?" I asked, slightly terrified of setting him off.

He paused for a moment, then nodded before looking at me again. "Yeah, I think I do."

I pulled my pizza from the fridge. "You hungry?"

He shrugged.

"Want some milk instead?"

"Yeah, please."

I picked him up and sat him on the island while I grabbed a couple of glasses and retrieved the milk from the fridge.

"Thanks," he said, after taking a big swig of milk. It was hard not to laugh at the moo-juice mustache he was now sporting.

"No problem, anytime. You sure you don't want some pizza?" I waved a piece in his direction.

"Nah, I'm okay."

I ate my pizza while he chewed on his bottom lip. I wonder if he picked that up from Bella. "So," I said, unable to handle the silence any longer, "What's got you feeling so blue?"

He exhaled loudly, swirling the milk around in his glass. "I miss my Mom. I'm sorry, I'm trying really hard not to, but stuff makes me think about her and…well, I get sad."

"Geez, Jaden, it's okay—it's normal to miss someone if they've died. I would be worried if you weren't."

"Really? You're not mad?"

"Not at all! Want me to tell you something?"

"Yeah," he replied, intrigued.

"When Bella's family died, I cried _a lot_. They were a part of my family and I loved them very much, so when they were suddenly gone, it hurt me so bad that I couldn't stop crying for a long time. Even now I get sad when I think about them sometimes. The good thing is that over the years, the sad isn't as strong, and I can think more of the happier times instead of being sad that they are gone.

"Always remember that your mommy and Casey are _always_ with you, and you won't feel so bad. Even if we can't see them, it doesn't mean they aren't nearby."

I moved so he was in front of me. "You lost your folks a month ago, kiddo, it's okay to be sad. It's normal."

He looked relieved. "I just didn't want you to think I'm being a crybaby."

"Never, Jaden. I think you are _the_ toughest little kid I've ever met."

His eyes grew huge. "Really? Even the fourth graders?"

"Yup. Really. You have been such a big boy about everything that's happened. You know that you don't have to be so strong all the time, right? It's okay to be sad, mad, frustrated, happy, ridiculous, and silly."

Jaden took a deep breath. "Okay. If you're sure."

I stood up and hugged him. "I couldn't be more sure. Do you want to talk about your Mom?"

"Yeah. Um, did my mom's scrapbooks come here with my stuff?"

"I think so. Did you want to look at them?"

"Only if you'll do it with me. I want to show you the happy days, not the sad ones."

I dug around in a couple of bins in the storage room before I found them. We carried them into the living room where we curled up on the couch and Jaden shared the happier moments of his life with me until he fell asleep.

I made a silent promise that we'd fill more scrapbooks with new happy memories when he was ready to move forward. Lord knows we were going to need some seriously happy moments to combat the shit storm that would be coming with Mama Hell.

* * *

**For those of you who have been following my own personal drama with the fire/displacement/paint fumes, etc. I have great news! I am home again. The fumes are still here, but not as bad. I am actually posting this update from my living room (I ran home for lunch!). Knuckles is moving home tonight.**

**I can't thank Sophilia Tantrum enough for EVERYTHING she has done. I wouldn't have gotten through this without you. Seriously. You jumped in right away and started organizing the salvaging, the tossing, the laundry detail, the re-set up, looking after my kitty. You were my biggest help and my emotional support when I needed it.**

**So I'm dedicating this chapter to you again. Because you rock, and I don't know if you hear it enough.**

**To everyone else who has sent me messages of support, talked me down when I've been freaking out, and have cheered for me on Twitter, THANK YOU! I have the best readers out there.**

**Sneak peeks will resume as soon as I get my life sorted out. Thanks for your patience.**

**Don't forget about Fandom for Preemies. I have a bonus O/S from the Branded/Road Maps/? series. It's from the third installment.  
www DOT fandomforpreemies DOT blogspot DOT come **

**As always, I love to hear what you're thinking!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Surprise! I'm updating a day early!**

**It's an all-Bella POV, so no jumping around this time.**

**Huge hugs, bewbie gropes, and touche grabs to Minna and Katmom for all of their hard work.**

**Minor tissue warning.

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_**Bella**_

Oh wow.

My nerves were shot as I sat and stared at the white stick on the bathroom counter. I looked at the egg-shaped timer in my hand and sighed heavily.

One minute to go.

How did I get here? How had I ended up sitting nervously on the edge of the toilet staring at a pregnancy test, awaiting the results? What in the world had tipped me off that perhaps something might be amiss? Simple: I had felt nauseated the past couple of mornings, my boobs were tender, I was more tired than usual, and I just felt off. I hadn't had a late period because I hadn't really been having them because of the Depo Provera shot, but I had also not rebooked for my next shot, so there was a slim chance that…nah, there was no way I could get pregnant that fast…was there?

I looked in the mirror and cringed. I'm Fertile Myrtle, of course if someone is going to get pregnant when they're not supposed to, it would be me.

Oh shit, this wasn't supposed to happen right now. There was too much going on and I wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Not only that, but I had been fighting with Edward about not wanting a baby so soon. How bad would it look if I ended up pregnant?

Not like I could do anything about it now.

Not like I _wanted_ to do anything about it.

I wanted another baby desperately, but now? Were we really ready to take on the stress of raising a child at a time when we were both still finding our footing? Edward was still in school, and I was still doing my Masters. How could a child possibly fit into the lives we'd settled into?

Money wasn't an issue, nor would it ever be, but logistically speaking, it wasn't the best fit. I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging as I tried to reconcile the possibility of becoming a mother again. So many thoughts tore painfully through my head, so many doubts, so many fears.

Oh, but the thought of feeling that fluttering in my belly, watching my body change to accommodate a new life growing inside of me, even thinking about the dreadful morning sickness made me almost giddy. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

No, it would be a blessing and a wonderful gift to bring another child into the family and having one so close to Alice's little girl would mean they would have an instant best friend.

I wanted this.

The timer went off in my hand, startling me out my reverie, and I stood to see the results. I was actually excited to see the two pink lines.

Only there was only one.

Damn.

I flopped back down on the toilet seat, staring at the negative test in my hand and I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. I had no right to cry; three minutes ago I didn't want this, I would have been thrilled at the negative result, but now, now it was breaking my heart.

It was in this moment that I realized that I had been putting off Edward's request to actively start trying to conceive because I was afraid, and not because I was bring practical. It was sitting here on the toilet that I came to the conclusion that I was being selfish and that I really did want to have a baby.

SOON.

A light knock came at the door.

"Come in," I called out weakly, "it's unlocked."

Edward entered, shirtless and half-asleep because it was five in the morning, stopping dead in his tracks when he spotted me and the white stick.

"Are you…are we…?"

I shook my head before letting out a sob. "No, we're not."

He approached me, kneeling down to be closer. "Why are you so upset? I thought you said…"

"I was wrong! I want a baby, Edward. I want one so bad. We need to start trying more actively—right now!"

I threw myself at him, knocking us both to the cold tile bathroom floor. My first instinct was to pull him from his flannels and get started, but instead, I fell apart. He sat up, holding me in his lap as he rubbed my back.

"What changed, love? I'm confused," he spoke softly into my hair.

I couldn't speak, so he let me sob on him until I was dehydrated and exhausted.

"Bed?" he asked quietly.

"Please."

He managed to get up and carry me back to our bed. We lay quietly, just staring at one another, touching and caressing in a comforting manner until I found the words I needed to properly vocalize the mess in which I found myself. "I'm not 100% sure that a baby would be the right thing at this time in our lives, Edward. My head keeps telling me to be practical—bringing a baby into this chaos right now would be unfair and wrong."

He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and smiled gently. "But…but what is your heart saying?"

I took his hand and held it tightly to my chest, placing it over my racing heart. "It says that there's more than enough room for a baby in here."

Edward's watery smile brought tears to my eyes again. "So, you really want to do this? You're saying you're ready?"

"I'm saying I'm sorry for making you wait, and yes, I want to start trying."

My mouth was instantly overtaken by his as he celebrated. "Thank you. Oh, God," he panted between heated, sloppy kisses, "thank you."

I dreaded what I had to tell him next. "Uh, hold on, baby, there's more."

The kisses stopped instantly and his face shifted from elation to worry in a matter of seconds. "What? What is it?"

I sighed, entwining our fingers. "I've been on the shot for so long that it could take a while to happen. I don't want you to get too excited; we may have a long wait ahead of us."

"When was your last one?"

"Two or three months ago? I'd have to check my calendar because I really can't be sure."

Hands snaked up my body as he leaned in. "Don't get another one," he breathed into my ear, causing a rush of goose bumps to cover my skin.

"I won't."

Baby making round one began at that moment and I realized that this was a win-win situation: the longer it would take to conceive, the more hot sex I got to have with Edward.

The phone rang mid-coitus, and Edward grunted at me not to answer it.

"It's Alice's ringtone, I have to."

Edward continued to worship my body as I answered the phone, breathless.

"Bella?" Alice said hurriedly.

"What's up, Alice?" I squeaked when I said her name—Edward had just bit my left nipple.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm having contractions. I'm scared. It's too soon."

I sat up, pushed Edward off of me and put on my proverbial big girl underpants as I tried to remain calm. "How close are they, Alice? What do they feel like? Is there a discharge? Has your water broken? Is it gas? Talk to me; tell me everything you're feeling. It might just be Braxton-Hicks contractions."

"No, no water-breakage yet," she said, her voice trembling.

"Where's Jasper?"

"Sleeping. I don't have the heart to wake him. What do I do, Bella?"

I grabbed my real underpants from the floor and began dressing. "I think you should wake Jasper and go to the hospital as a precaution. I'll meet you there. I'm not going to leave you, okay? We can stay on the phone if you want. Now go wake him up."

"Don't hang up on me, Bella, please. Oh crap, here comes another one."

"Just breathe, Ali. Remember what they said in class—pant through it."

I heard her panting lightly as I explained to Edward that we needed to get to the hospital. He suggested we pick them up instead of having Jasper driving there worried and half-asleep.

We got ready and rushed out to the car, and picked them up. Poor Alice looked a mess—her hair was askew, her eyes red and puffy, and she looked pale, even for our lily-white Alice.

Edward and I were stuck in the waiting room at the ER while the doctors assessed Alice.

"I don't miss this part of pregnancy," I said to no one in particular.

Edward raked his hands through his hair, exhaling loudly. "Me either. I'm glad your pregnancy with Emma wasn't too rough. I don't think I could have handled it. I was so nervous back then."

I snorted. "Back then? You're still one of the biggest worrywarts I've ever met."

He didn't laugh at my jibe, and he actually looked hurt by my words. "Baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's true, love, but you'd be worried too if..."

Oh hell no, we were not going back to this. Not now. "Edward…" I warned.

Hands flew up in frustration. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry if I'm always scared of losing you again. I'm sorry if my concern bothers you. I'm…"

"Wait, Edward," I stopped him, and pointed toward the door. "Jasper."

Jazz walked toward us, exhausted. Seriously, I think if you wiki searched the word _exhausted_, you would find a picture of him right there.

"Alice is okay. They're pretty sure it's just Braxton Hicks, but they want to watch her for a couple of hours, just to be sure. You guys can go home if you want. I'm," he paused to yawn, "I'm going to stay here."

I stood and moved over to where he was standing. "Why don't you go get some sleep and I'll stay with her. I'm sorry, sweetpea, but I don't think I've EVER seen you look so tired. Get Edward to drop you off at home and I'll call a cab later to get us home."

"But…" he began to protest, but was cut off by another yawn.

"But nothing. Go. If anything changes, I'll call you."

"If it's okay with Alice, I'll go," he finally conceded.

Edward clapped his back. "Sleep while you can, because once the baby comes, it'll be hard to grab much more than a few minutes here and there."

Poor Jasper shook his head and exhaled loudly. "Don't remind me."

I gave him a hug. "It'll be okay. Now go—sleep." I turned to Edward. "You sleep too."

He enveloped me in his arms. "We'll finish what we started later, love. Call if you want me to pick you up. I love you."

"I love you too. Be safe."

We kissed while Jasper went to explain the situation to Alice.

"Don't tire yourself out, Bella. I need you healthy if we're going to work on the baby thing."

"I know, I will. I'll call the doctor to schedule an exam and talk about making this easier. I'll start taking vitamins and whatnot."

Edward smiled down at me and I melted from the heat of his loving gaze. "You really want this, don't you? We're really going to try?"

I nodded, fearful that if I spoke, that I would cry.

"Thank you," he breathed into my ear. "Thank you so much."

Jasper cleared his throat, thus ending our moment. "Bells, Ali is resting comfortably and is waiting for you. Edward, let's go before I fall over."

Edward leaned in for one last kiss before they left. After watching them walk down the hall to make sure that Jasper didn't keel over, I asked a nurse to show me where to find Alice.

Poor Alice looked so upset and freaked out, all wired up in the bed. They had fetal monitors on her; she had an IV of what looked like saline, and a pout that threatened to cause her entire face to collapse.

"Oh, Alice, it's not all bad. What did the doctor say?" I asked, sliding over a chair. Her tiny hand grasped mine and squeezed as soon as I was seated.

"They're pretty sure it's just Braxton Hicks, but they found out that I was dehydrated and now they tell me I'm anemic." She began to cry. "I'm going to screw this up, Bella. I know I am."

"Whoa, who is this pathetic creature in the bed before me? This can't be MY Alice, who is the epitome of positivity. Turn that frown upside down, Ali, this kind of shit happens. You are no longer in control of your body. SHE," I reached over and patted her belly, "she is in charge. Just remember that.

"And sometimes things happen; babies are born early, mothers develop anemia or diabetes, and in the end, everyone is okay."

"What if it's not okay?"

I sighed and held her palm to my cheek. "Then we get through it together, as a family."

My little pep talk didn't exactly have the effect that I hoped it would, but I knew that Alice was tired, scared, and upset. Nothing I could say would cheer her up—the only thing that could do that was a clean bill of health and a promise of a perfect pregnancy laminated and certified by a doctor in front of a notary.

"Sleep, sweetie. Being tired and stressed upsets the baby."

Alice turned her tired eyes to mine and grimaced. "Thanks, that helped immensely," she replied dryly.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking. Please try and get some rest."

She nodded, closed her eyes and was out in no time. I wasn't far behind her, waking only when the on-call OBGYN came to check on Alice. He was young, nice-looking, and had kind grey eyes. I was immediately drawn to him.

"How's she doing?" I asked.

He looked over the long sheet of print out coming from the monitor, then gently took her pulse and tweaked with her IV. "Well, things have calmed down in the contraction department, so I'm going to chalk it up to good old Dr. BH. I am, however, concerned with her blood count. We need to get her iron levels up before she really does go into labour."

Alice groaned as she tried to roll over. "Damn it, Jasper, where's my pillow?"

The doctor and I laughed lightly at her.

"What the…?" she opened her eyes, blinking against the light. "Oh, shit, I thought this was all a bad dream. So, doc, what's the verdict?"

"I'm happy to say that you'll live, Miss Brandon. The contractions have pretty much stopped; I think you'll be okay to leave soon. I just want to give you a quick internal exam and check your cervix, and then I'm going to write up a prescription for iron pills and a list of foods high in iron so maybe we can get your levels up to a much more acceptable place. So, if you don't mind, I'll do your pelvic exam now."

Alice winced. "Yeah, but be gentle, please."

He snapped on a pair of purple surgical gloves and lifted up the blanket. "Okay, Miss Brandon, please assume the position."

I helped her wriggle around until her bottom was close to the end of the bed and her feet were planted flat and wide on the bed. I offered my hand to her as support as he poked and prodded. I knew firsthand how uncomfortable it could be and I felt for her.

We both exhaled when he finally tore the gloves off, tossing them into a medical waste bin. "Okay, Miss Brandon, you're looking good. Your cervix is still thick, so I think you're good to go. I'll go write up your script and discharge papers and send a nurse in to disconnect you from the IV so you can get dressed."

Alice burst into tears again as the doctor was leaving the room. He stopped, turned and walked back to the bed. His eyes softened as he smiled sweetly at her. "What is it, Alice?"

"N…nothing, I'm just nervous and tired. Pay me no mind. I'll be okay."

He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. "It's okay, Alice, you can talk to me. Maybe I can help allay some of your fears."

"I…I…" she stopped, averted her gaze from his and stared at her belly. "I'm scared I'm going to do something wrong and break her or something. I'm getting nervous because this is all happening so fast and I'm terrified that I won't be ready when she comes."

It was during this moment that I wished the doctor sitting here had been her primary care doctor because he had a real way of calming her down. Don't get me wrong, Dr. Butler was awesome, but this guy was GOOD. Alice began to relax the moment he began to speak.

"I know I don't know you, Alice, but I can tell that you are going to be a great mother to your baby girl. The great thing abut motherhood is that a lot of it is," he tapped gently on her head and then over her heart, "instinct. Millions of years have prepared you for the big moment, and you will likely know the second you hear her first cries that you are her mother, and to quote my mom, _mother knows best_. Try not to worry too much because I'm sure that she worries when you do.

"The anemia isn't your fault, sweetie, it happens. You just need to take it easy and take care of yourself and everyone will be fine."

I handed a tissue to Alice, who looked a lot more at ease than she had.

"You feel better?" he asked, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, thank you, doctor…?"

"Vedder," he replied.

She grinned. "Like Eddie Vedder?"

The young doctor laughed. "Yup, like Eddie Vedder. I think he might actually be a distant cousin of mine."

"I feel better, man," she teased, winking.

Dr. Vedder and I groaned at her pun. "_Betterman_, Alice? Ouch. Anyway, let's get you out of here. I'm sure you'd prefer your own bed. The nurse will be right in to remove your IV. Take care, Alice."

We waved to him as he left for real. Hm... "Alice? Can I go talk to him for a moment?"

"Go ahead."

I ran out, down the hall until I spotted him at the nurses' station. "Dr. Vedder? Have you got a second?"

He stopped, turning to face me. "Sure, is Alice okay?"

"Yes, but I was wondering…this is going to sound weird, but…do you see regular patients or do you only work in the ER?"

"No, I have office hours. Why do you ask?" He looked confused.

"I want to have a baby and I need you…oh crap, that came out all wrong, didn't it. My fiancé and I would like to begin the process of conceiving and I need a doctor. There are, well, potential difficulties."

"What kind of difficulties? Infertility? Anatomical?"

"I think it might be best discussed when we have more time. Would we be able to meet with you sometime?"

"Sure. If you can hang on for a sec I'll grab my card for you." He jogged down the hall and into a room. When he returned, he handed me a couple of cards. "Here, give one to Alice too, in case she wants to talk. Call my office and set up an appointment when you're ready to meet with me."

I smiled. "Thanks, Dr. Vedder."

As I turned to leave, he spoke again. "Why me, Bella? Why not Alice's doctor?"

"I get a vibe off you that I don't get off Dr. Butler, and really, you can't go wrong with a doctor who shares the same last name are my favourite musician—well, besides my fiancé."

He laughed. "I look forward to meeting your musician. See you soon, Bella. Take care."

By the time I reached Alice, she was disconnected from everything and pulling on her sweater.

"Shall I call a cab?"

Alice looked up at me. "Please. I just want to curl up in bed with Jasper and sleep for a month."

"Okay, that can be done. Let's go home."

After I put in the call for a cab, which unfortunately wasn't going to be my friend Sam because he was off for a change, I linked arms with her as we walked out of the ER.

"So, why were you chasing Dr. Vedder?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, well, I…er…I was asking about something…er…anemia?" I stumbled. I didn't want everyone to know that Edward and I were trying because it would be undue pressure to perform, and that was the last thing we needed.

"Yeah, right, Bella. Whatever," she teased.

Damn that all-knowing, all-seeing, all-sensing pixie on my arm.

We were able to get in with Dr. Vedder the following week.

"So, Bella, Edward, I have a basic idea about why we are here, but can you perhaps elaborate on the _problems_ of which you spoke?" Dr. Vedder asked, leaning on his desk.

I took Edward's hand in mine as I spoke. "Well, we had no problem conceiving in the past, in fact, it would seem that I am quite fertile, but…"

"Oh, so you have children?"

"Had," Edward mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"I became pregnant when I was fifteen. We had a little girl, but we…well, we lost her in a car accident when she was almost three."

Dr. Vedder's face fell. "My condolences. That must have been very hard."

"Thank you. Um, well, after she was born, our parents insisted I be put on the Depo Provera shot and I've been on it for the past seven years," I continued.

"And you're concerned that it might hinder your ability to conceive?"

I nodded.

He smiled, reassuringly at us. "Well, it might slow things down, but I don't foresee it being a big problem."

"There's more," I continued.

He cocked a light brown eyebrow at me. "Okay, what else is there?"

Edward gave my hand a squeeze. "Bella was in the same accident as our daughter and sustained a traumatic and near-fatal head injury."

"Really?" the doctor said, looking me over, "you would never know. Do you suffer from any long-term negative effects of this injury?"

I nodded. "I have short term memory problems and sometimes suffer from mobility issues if I tire myself out too much."

"I get the feeling there's more."

"I have seizures," I said, softly.

"Oh. Are you on a permanent or long-term drug regimen to control them?"

This is the part I had feared. "Yes."

Dr. Vedder inhaled loudly as he leaned back in his big leather chair, the springs creaking with the movement. "I'd like to consult with your neurologist about this."

I handed him a thick file folder. "I had Dr. King make copies of my file for occasions such as this. His number is listed inside."

He thumbed through the pages detailing my neurological history. His brow furrowed once or twice, and with each moment of silence from the good doctor, Edward's leg bounced even more nervously against mine.

When Dr. Vedder finally set down my file, he frowned. "I won't lie; I'm concerned about the seizures, Bella."

My heart stopped, and I could feel my throat constricting.

"No, no, wait, I'm concerned, but I'm not ruling anything out. Lots of women with seizure disorders are able to have healthy, full-term pregnancies. Let's go do your physical work up and I'll schedule a consultation with Dr. King to discuss your options. Most anti-seizure medications aren't safe for pregnant or nursing women to take. You would likely either have to go off your meds and take your chances with the possibility of seizure activity, or we might be able to come up with another treatment option. I'm not as up on anti-seizure prescription protocols where they concern pregnancy."

"Really? There's hope?" Edward asked, nervously.

"There's always hope, Edward. Now, Bella, let's get you into the exam room. There's a gown in there for you if you wouldn't mind disrobing."

I got up and kissed Edward before leaving the room.

There's hope.

This is a good thing.

* * *

**Bella has an epiphany! She and Edward actually talk! Wow! See, talking helps. When are these people going to see that?**

**I haven't recc'ed any fics in a while, so here goes:**

_**Hands Open & Haunted**_** by Nikita2009  
_Dark Temptation_ by Minnakoda  
_Dragon Stones_ by Katmom  
_Take the Ice_ by Bellamarie117  
****_Colouring Outside the Lines_ by Winddsinger (the sequel to _The Red Line_!)  
_Whispered Words and False Promises_ by lambcullen **

**I will try to send out teasers this week for the reviewers. Because I'll be out of town (going to see Mamma Mia with my momma and sister) review replies may be slower to come.**


	14. Chapter 13

**WARNING! **

**Mama Hale is in full effect this chapter. **

**Big thanks to Minna and Katmom. You guys put the jingle in my bells.**

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_**Rose**_

I dusted the mantle for the millionth time and knew that the heavy sigh I heard was directed at me.

"Rosie, sweetheart; put down the Swiffer and step away from the fireplace. I can assure you that there isn't a speck of dust within at least one hundred feet of it; I think you've eradicated it all."

"I'm sorry, Esme, nervous energy, I guess."

A hand gently rubbed my back. "Come on, darling, why don't we go wait for the girls outside."

My body relaxed slightly as I allowed her to lead me toward the door. I heard frantic footfalls coming down the hall as I slipped on my shoes, alerting me to the fact that I was about to be tackled.

"Miss Rosie, Miss Rosie!" Jaden called out as he ran toward us. "Please wait!"

I relished hearing him call my name. I would never again take the sound of his voice for granted, even if he was shouting angrily at me, which he had yet to do. The fact that he was speaking at all was a blessing that I would cherish. In the past couple of weeks since bringing him home, he had really opened up. He now spoke to all of us; however, he still refused to speak to Dr. Scott or the social workers.

Squatting down, I opened my arms to him. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong?"

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" he said, sadly.

It was hard not to both laugh and melt at the pout he sported at that moment. "No, sweetie, I wasn't. I would never do that. Esme and I were going to wait outside for Alice and Bella to pick us up. Want to come with us?"

He looked back in the direction of the kitchen, then at us, then back, clearly torn. Finally, he smiled. "Okay, I think I can take a minute or two away from the surprise."

I took his hand in mine as we walked outside. It was a beautiful sunny day in late May and if I hadn't had so much on my mind, I might have been able to enjoy it more.

We sat on the porch swing, swaying back and forth, just soaking up the tranquility. Our neighbourhood was incredibly quiet and I loved it. I loved the trees and the grass, the well-groomed landscaping and the friendly, open attitude of our neighbours. The only noise I could hear was the quiet hum of a lawn mower in someone's backyard, and the sound of birds in the trees.

"Are you okay, Miss Rosie?"

No matter how many times I had begged him to just call me Rosie, he still called me Miss. He was getting better with calling Emmett by just his name, but for some reason he continued to call us ladies _Miss _or in Esme's case, _Missus._

I pulled him closer to me, resting my cheek on his head. "Yeah, buddy, I'll be okay."

"You're nervous." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," I admitted.

"It'll be okay, Miss Rosie."

He seemed so sure, and I didn't want to rain on his parade, so it just seemed easier to agree with him. "I hope so."

"I know so. I gotta feeling and Miss Alice said that we should always trust our feelings."

I chuckled. "That's true enough."

"I'm excited," he said a few minutes later.

Esme giggled on the other side of him. "Why's that?"

He sat up straighter and began speaking animatedly. "Well, for a lot of reasons, really. First, today is a VERY special day full of surprises and I'm excited about that. Second, I get to go to a graduation ceremony, which is something only big kids get to do, AND I get to cheer three times! Once for Miss Alice, once for Mr. Jasper, and a great big huge one for my Miss Rosie. Most people only get to cheer once."

Oh, how I hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed when he realized how long and boring it was going to be.

"Third, I get to protect you from nasty Mama Hale. You always look after me when I'm scared and sad, well, now it's my turn. Mr…er, Emmett and me are going to be your bodyguards." Jaden seemed really excited about the opportunity to protect me. He was smiling widely and waving his hands around animatedly.

My heart melted at his words. My boys were going to make sure that I was safe—both my big boy and now my little boy. My throat swelled with emotion as I hugged him. "Thanks, buddy. That makes me feel a lot better."

"It's our job. We men are supposed to keep our ladies safe."

Before I could respond to that quasi-sexist statement coming from a seven year old, a horn honked from the driveway as Alice pulled up in her bumblebee-yellow car. Jaden took off running and calling her name.

"Be careful, Jaden!" I called out, fearing that a trip and fall would land him back in the hospital, and that was the last thing I needed right then. I got up and poked my head into the house. "Em, baby?"

My hot man came down the hall, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "You taking off, babe?"

"Yeah, the girls just arrived."

He came out onto the porch and waved to the car before sweeping me up into his arms and planting a searing kiss on my lips. My mouth opened instinctively, seeking the safety of his taste, his smell, his essence, before I had to go.

"Mm…" I hummed happily into his parted lips. "Love you."

I felt him harden against me before he groaned and set me down. "I love you too. Now go with the girls and get yourself pampered. Don't worry about anything at all. We've got everything under control here. Oh, but don't let them fuck with your face, though, I don't want them marring your natural beauty."

I blushed at his compliment. "Thanks, baby. Call if you need me. I have my…"

He grabbed my purse and pulled out my phone, stuffing it in his pocket.

"No phones. Relax. We've got everything under control, okay? I've got your list and Jasper will pick your folks up at the airport. Alice's parents are arriving on an earlier flight, so he'll grab them first.

"Don't worry, baby. We boys have your back. Right, buddy?"

Jaden popped around from behind me. "Yup, we do." He gave my legs a hug and smiled up at me. "Bye, Miss Rosie. Love you!"

I bent down for a proper hug and a kiss, which he sloppily placed on my cheek.

"Thanks, buddy. I love you too."

The first time Jaden had said he loved us hadn't been that long ago; I mean, it had been mentioned to the others, like Jaden had told Bella that he loved us all, but when he finally looked me in the eye and said it, I cried, which upset him. I had to reassure him that they were happy tears and that I loved him very much.

Loving this little boy frightened me to death because until we were able to legally adopt him, they could take him away from us at any time, and I hadn't wanted to get too attached because I was terrified of my heart breaking and never recovering.

It was too late, though. I knew deep down that I had fallen in love with him the first day I met him and that regardless of how things ended, this tiny little creature had left an indelible mark on my heart.

Alice, Bella, Esme and I were booked in for a full day of pampering at a local spa, courtesy of Esme. She said it was a graduation present. Really, though, it was an attempt to keep me from going nuts waiting for my parents to arrive later in the afternoon; a way to get us out of the house so the boys could work on the big surprise. Us girls hadn't done something like this in ages, and it was long overdue.

We gossiped while having our manis and pedis and bitched about all the little things that were bugging us. Poor Alice was struggling with swollen feel and fretting about looking like a beached whale while sporting the hideous polyester graduation gowns we were being forced to wear.

Esme was concerned that Carlisle was going to be late. He was driving down after his shift at the hospital and wasn't due to arrive until much, much later in the day. Alice assured her that he would be fine, and that she hadn't had any bad _feelings_ about it.

Then she added she had a _feeling_ there was something afoot, and that she also _felt_ that Bella was hiding something from us.

I had to laugh as Bella struggled to deny it, but with her easy blush, we knew instantly that something was up.

"Spill it, Swan," I barked.

"There's nothing!" she protested lamely as she shot daggers at Alice.

"Whatever, fine, don't tell us," I sighed melodramatically, "I thought we were sisters…"

"God, you guys are terrible! Do you want to know? Do you REALLY want to know?"

She was getting upset and I instantly felt bad. "No, Bells, it's okay," I tried to be as sincere as possible when I spoke to her, "we didn't want to upset you."

"No, you wanted to know, so I'll tell you, but DO NOT BREATHE A WORD TO EDWARD! We were trying to keep this under wraps, but obviously, that's not going to happen. So, do you swear not to say a word to anyone at all?"

We all hooked pinkies and nodded.

"Fine then, Edward and I went to the doctor the other day."

"Which doctor, Bella? Is it who I think it was?" Alice asked, trying to quell her excitement.

Bella nodded. "We went to see Dr. Vedder. He's an…an OBGYN."

Esme tensed up beside me. "Are you pregnant, Bella?"

"Not yet, but we've decided that it's time to try."

We all erupted into squeals and cheers, scaring the crap out of the poor women working on our feet.

"Wait! There are…complications. Don't get your hopes up just yet. This was the reason why we didn't want to say anything."

"Why, darling, what's wrong?" Esme asked, her elation now masked with concern.

"Physically, I'm okay down there, but Dr. Vedder is concerned about the seizures. Now that I'm taking meds every day, he worries that there could be a problem—pregnant women can't take the meds that I'm on. So, unless he and Dr. King come up with a plan to find different drugs, my only options are to not get pregnant, or to take my chances with going off the meds and pray that I don't have an episode."

"What will you do?" I asked quietly. What a heartbreaking decision to have to make.

"I want to go off the meds and Edward, well, he is REALLY struggling with this. He wants another baby so badly, but he can't bear the thought of possibly losing me in the process."

"Lose you?" Alice asked shakily. "What do you mean by that?"

Bella sighed heavily. "With any major seizure I have, there is always the chance that I won't come out of it. You guys know that."

"Yeah, but I don't think it ever really sunk in," Alice replied. "Wow."

Bella wiped at her eyes. "Enough guys; cheer up! We don't know for sure that this won't work. Let's just look on the bright side and hope for the best until we have concrete proof that it won't happen."

Esme reached over for Bella's hand. "You're right, Bella. We'll put it in the Lord's hands and think positive thoughts only."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur and after our full body massages, we had nothing but fuzzy, happy, relaxed thoughts floating through our heads—almost enough to wipe away the fear I had of what awaited me at home.

_**Jasper**_

"Mr. and Mrs. Brandon! Over here!"

I spotted Alice's parents dodging people as they raced toward me outside the security area at the airport.

"Jasper! Sweetie pie, give us a hug!"

"Hi, Millie," I said, smiling as she hugged me. There was always something warm and reassuring about Millie's hugs. They were how I always imagined a loving mother's hug would feel—not that I ever felt anything like that from my mother.

Liam pulled me out of her arms and into a tight bear hug. "How's my baby girl doing?"

"She's fantastic. We had a bit of a scare, but she's doing okay. The anemia is making her tired, so she might seem a little slower."

Liam and Millie laughed at that. "So, we might have a chance to keep up with her now?" Liam said, chuckling.

Millie tapped her bag. "I have some things to help with the anemia. Are the girls at the spa? Alice mentioned something about a nice relaxing afternoon."

Relaxing afternoon my ass, I chuckled darkly to myself; Alice had no idea of what was to come. I hope she will feel well-rested. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed loudly. "Yeah, they are. Um, we need to keep moving—my folks are arriving at another gate in the next half hour."

"Oh," Millie squealed, "we finally get to meet the infamous Mama Hale. Wait…is that why your aura is so off? Talk to me, Jasper."

I spilled my guts to them as we neared the gate where I was to meet my folks. Millie hugged me again when we stopped, even though I had just told her that my mother would likely insult her and treat her like shit.

"Oh pooh, Jasper, I don't care and I refuse to allow her to ruin these special days for my babies. Speaking of which, what was her reaction to the news of the baby?"

Awkward. "Well, Millie, they uh…don't know."

I felt stinging pain across the back of my head. "Millie, did you just hit me?"

"Yes I did, Jasper Hale! How could you omit that important piece of information? She's going to spazz out and scare that blessed miracle right out of Alice!"

"She reacted so badly to Rosalie's engagement to Emmett that we knew she'd react even worse at the news of a baby, not to mention they have no clue about Jaden."

Millie sat down on her suitcase. "Oh, sweet pea, they are going to…wow. I know they are terribly anal and inflexible people, but Jasper, this is an awful lot to throw at them all at once."

I began pacing back and forth, my gaze flicking nervously to the screen announcing incoming arrivals. "I know, Millie, but we didn't think they would come to graduation! With things as rough as they are between Mama and Rosie…god, we're screwed."

Stopping in front of my in-laws-to-be, I took a deep breath. "There's more, but it's a surprise."

Liam shuffled uncomfortably because he knew what the surprise was—he was in on it too.

"Oh gods, Jasper, I hope Dr. Cullen will be nearby, because your folks are going to have a coronary when they find out."

"I know."

We moved to sit on a bench while we waited. Millie had one hand holding mine, while the other ran gently through my tangled hair in an attempt to calm me down and fix my aura. Shit! I had hoped to get a haircut before Mama saw me and called me a dirty hippie in front of my hippie future in-laws.

I lost myself in the feeling of Millie's fingers running through my hair until they announced the arrival of my parents' flight. Every muscle in my body tightened up at the thought of Mama's wrath, then Millie began speaking to me in quiet reassuring tones. There was something special about Millie; she had some freaky mojo that could soothe the savage beast in just about anyone.

Hmm…maybe she could fix Mama?

By the time I spotted the blonde heads of my parents moving swiftly through the crowd, all trace of peace had evaporated, and I'm sure my aura was a horrendous colour.

"Are you ready?" I whispered to Liam and Millie.

"We don't matter, sweetie, and remember that you are not them and we will love you no matter how awful they are."

"Thank you." I kissed her cheek before getting up to meet my parents.

"Hi, Mama, Dad," I said nervously. "How was your flight?"

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, you look like a dirty hippie! How do you ever hope to find employment looking like that? If you continue down this path of mediocrity you'll end up looking like _them_."

My heart sank as she pointed toward Liam and Millie, who were both waving in our direction.

"Why are they waving at us?" she huffed.

I took her rolling suitcase from her. "Because they are Alice's parents. Please be nice."

Mama moved close enough to seethe directly into my ear. "You would do well not to tell me how to act, son."

My father merely sighed as we moved toward the Brandons. I desperately wanted him to yell at Mama, and tell her to behave, but no. Some things never change.

"Mrs. Hale? I'm Millie Brandon, and this is my husband, Liam. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Mama plastered a fake smile on her face and spoke cordially to Millie. "The pleasure is all ours. My name is Lillian and this is Donald." She turned to me. "Will you be taking us to the hotel now, son?"

"Well, not exactly."

Mama's head snapped over angrily. "Did you not make reservations for us? Ugh, Donald, I knew we should have done it ourselves—"

"No, Mama, I made the reservations. I just thought you might want to see Rosie before retiring for the evening. I realize you are tired, but they are having a barbecue at their house for the parents. Please consider coming for a little while. I promise to bring you to the hotel whenever you've had enough."

She exhaled loudly, then replied with a sneer, "Fine. I can't wait to see the hovel your sister is living in."

We made our way to the parking garage and I couldn't help but wince when I heard both mothers gasp at the same time but for VERY different reasons. "A Cadillac, Jasper?" Mama Hale was clearly impressed, while Millie was appalled that we would use a gas-guzzling Navigator. I shot her a look, promising to explain later.

We drove in silence until we reached the gated community where Em and Rose lived. Mama gasped in awe. "Rosalie lives HERE?"

"Yes, the house that she and Emmett purchased is just ahead."

"Maybe she's not as dumb as I thought she was," Mama mumbled. It took _everything_ I had in me not to turn around, tell her off and leave her on the side of the road.

When I pulled into the driveway, Jaden came flying out the front door decked out in dress pants and an adorable argyle sweater vest.

"Mr. Jasper! Wait until you see what we did while you were gone! Miss Alice is going to be so excited!" He skidded to a halt when he spotted Mama Hale, clammed up, then sprinted back into the house.

"Who was that unruly child, Jasper?" Mama huffed as she straightened out her skirt and flattened her already perfectly straight hair.

"That's Jaden, and I'm going to ask you—no, I'm going to _tell_ you right now that you are not to speak to him in an unfriendly manner. Be nice to him, he's…he's important to us all and he's had a hard time."

She scowled at me and the heat from her angered gaze was brutal. I knew she was pissed that I was giving her orders again, but I wasn't going to let her do anything to upset him. Her anger seemed to fade a little when a black Mercedes pulled into the driveway beside us and Carlisle emerged.

"Jasper, son," he said warmly as he pulled me into a hug. "How're you doing? Is everything running smoothly?"

"Not quite," I whispered, so only he could hear, but then spoke normally as I introduced my parents and then Alice's.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lillian, Donald. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Emmett's father. Have you had the pleasure of meeting him yet?"

My mother was almost speechless. Hopefully that was a good thing.

"Come on in and I'll introduce my sons to you. Edward is here, isn't he, Jasper?"

I spotted the Volvo parked by the Jeep. "Yes, sir. Come on, let's go."

Emmett met us at the door, hugging his father tightly before turning to meet my folks and his future in-laws. "Hi, I'm Emmett Cullen, although you may know me better as the mistake your daughter is making. Please come in and make yourselves at home."

It was hard not to laugh at my mother's reaction to Emmett. Between his formidable physical presence and how he had just called her out in front of everyone, she looked stunned.

Millie was the one to break the tension as she pushed through to hug Emmett, who smiled widely as he picked her up off the porch. "You must be the famous Millie! Mm…I'm so happy to meet Little One's little Mama."

"Oh, Emmett, you have the most amazing aura! No wonder my Ali loves you so much." She gestured toward her husband. "That guy in the hoodie is my hubby, Liam."

Emmett reached over and shook his hand. "Great to meet you, Liam. Come on in, everyone. Can I get anyone a drink?"

"Doc Carlisle!" Jaden shouted as he ran toward him. Carlisle picked him up and gave him a hug. "Jaden! How's my favourite little guy?"

The boy's smile faltered when he spotted Mama Hale and he hid his face in Carlisle's shoulder. I walked over and rubbed his back. "It's okay, buddy, she won't bite."

"She's scary, Mr. Jasper. Doc Carlisle, can we go find Mr. Edward? We have something we need to do. Oh…" he paused, "which one is Miss Alice's daddy?"

I pointed him out, calling both Liam and Millie over to where we were standing.

"Jaden, this is Liam and Millie, Miss Alice's parents."

"Hi, sweetie, I really like your vest," Millie said softly.

He looked down and smiled. "Miss Alice picked it out for me. It was for the graduation but since today is special, Mr. Edward thought it would be okay if I wore it today too."

She reached out and cupped his cheek. "You look very handsome, sweetie." Her eyes teared up a little. "Goodness, could you help me find the washroom, Jaden?"

He nodded brightly and wriggled until Carlisle set him down. "Do you want to use my very own private one? Mr. Emmett…er…Emmett, bought special tub toys for me too!"

"I'd love to! Oh, and remind me later to ask what your favourite colours are so I can make some homemade washcloths for you."

They took off up the stairs leaving us all stunned. Jaden rarely spoke to adults besides us and he had immediately connected with Millie. It was a relief, really—they could keep each other occupied and away from Mama Hale.

Speaking of the devil herself, she and Dad were off to the side, just watching everything unfold. I wondered if she had figured out that Jaden lived here with Em and Rosie. I moved over and gestured for them to go sit in the living room.

"Can I get you a drink? Something to eat? We likely won't have dinner for a few more hours."

"A scotch on the rocks," Dad said softly, "if you've got it."

"Make that two, and yes, something to snack on would be nice. I'd also like to know where the nearest washroom is; it'd like to freshen up a little."

"Of course, I'm sorry, Mama. Come with me, please."

I led her to the guest washroom on the main floor then made my way into to the kitchen to get drinks and food.

"Want me to run interference, son?" Carlisle asked, clapping me on the back.

"Please? I have some things I need to do before the girls arrive."

He took the glasses from my hand so I could throw some veggies, pitas and dips onto a platter.

"Dad? Carlisle will help you with anything you might need. I have to do something before everyone arrives."

He merely nodded as he sipped on his drink. I had made sure that Emmett was well stocked with scotch and the good stuff at that. It would appease the parents and hopefully earn him some much-needed brownie points.

Edward and Emmett were speaking quietly to Liam on the deck, explaining things to him. He smiled warmly when he saw me approach.

"Jasper, she's going to love it."

"If she doesn't castrate me first. I know I went behind her back on this and I knew that she wanted to do the planning, but Rosie has offered to take some of the heat off me by putting herself on the line. I'm hoping that will make her feel better."

"Everything looks beautiful, Jasper," Millie said as she and Jaden joined us. There were tears on her cheeks.

"Wait—how did you—Jaden?" I looked at the little boy who ducked behind her legs, peeking out nervously.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jasper. I was so excited about everything that I forgot it was a secret. Are you mad? Please don't be mad."

"No, little buddy, I'm not mad. I'm really proud of you for keeping this secret for as long as you have. You did a great job, and really, Millie has a right to know."

"What the hell is this?"

Fuck. Mama Hale walked out onto the deck and surveyed the scene before her.

"Jasper? Care to explain what's going on?"

"Uh, well…"

"Spit it out, son. Looks like a wedding chapel out here."

"Well, that's a good thing, I guess, because there's going to hopefully be a wedding here tonight."

Mama's nostrils flared, her cheeks reddening at an alarming rate. "And who exactly is getting married?"

"Me and Alice."

It was then that I heard a gasp and turned to see Alice standing shell-shocked in the door.

* * *

**Yes, I'm leaving you here. I'm sorry. But on the bright side, I'll likely post two chapters in the next week because they're a little shorter and because it's the holiday season.**

**I'm still obsessively reading _Take the Ice_ by bellamarie117 so I don't have much else to recommend at the moment.**

**As always, I love to hear what you're thinking.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Just a note...This chapter and the next one used to be one chapter, but after talking it over with the girls, it was decided that it was best broken up  
(because Minna and Katmom know best). So, these chapters are shorter than usual, but nonetheless extremely important. **

**Mama Hale is in effect. Please keep all projectiles and weapons away from your computer.**

* * *

_**Alice**_

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on besides the graduation party. Esme kept shooting me strange looks and smiling sweetly at me.

My _feelings_ are never wrong, but there was no way I was prepared for what I saw when we got back to Rosie's house.

"Hey, Carlisle got here early!" I said, happily, as I pulled into the yard.

"Wonderful!" Esme declared, clearly excited at the thought of being reunited with her husband for the first time in over a month.

"Rosie, are you ready to face your folks?" I asked before putting the car in park behind Carlisle's Benz.

"Can we trade?"

"No way! Millie and Liam belong to me, but because I love you, I'll share them. I wonder how they made out with Mama Hale?"

I saw Rosie shudder in the back seat. "I don't want to know, Al. I really don't."

Bella opened her door. "I don't know about you guys, but I need to pee. I'll meet you inside."

Esme, Rosie and I got out and stared at the house. God, I was terrified and poor Sunnybubbles was doing cartwheels. Sweet Esme took our hands in hers, leading us to the door.

"Hello?" she called out.

Carlisle appeared instantly, picking her up and swinging her around. "Darling, I've missed you," he said before ducking in for a kiss.

Rosie and I continued past them, not wanting to impose on their sweet moment. We spotted her father sitting in the living room.

"Daddy," she said, walking slowly toward him.

"Princess, how are you?" He held out his arms, encouraging her to move in for a hug.

"I'm scared, Daddy."

Mr. Hale wasn't a bad man; he was a defeated, emasculated, and sad man. Tender moments with his children only happened away from the scrutinizing eyes of Mama Hale, which meant they had only really experienced any closeness with him while she was away on business.

I felt my eyes welling up as I witnessed this rare, but very tender moment between father and daughter.

"It'll be okay, Rosie, be strong." He rubbed her back, trying to comfort her before stepping back. "Your mother will be back soon."

I heard Rosie sigh as she released him. "Okay. I'm glad you're here, Daddy."

He smiled warmly at her. "I am too, Princess."

I left them to go find Jasper, and let me tell you, I was not expecting to hear what I heard and see what I saw. Mama Hale looked angry; her hands were on her hips, her legs straining against the tight, and probably expensive, fabric of her long dark pencil skirt.

"And who is getting married?" she sneered.

Married?

Jasper replied nervously. "Me and Alice."

I couldn't help the gasp that came out of my mouth.

Married?

Me?

Jasper?

Now?

Everything moved in a slow motion ballet of the macabre; Mama Hale's jaw dropped when she saw me and let out a shriek. Jaden screamed and ran to hide behind Emmett. My parents turned to see me, grinning proudly, then started walking toward me. Jasper's face was trapped in a pained grimace as he looked between me and his mother.

I felt my legs give out as I fell back against the doorway, sliding down until my butt hit the deck, my legs no longer able to support my weight.

Things sped up after that as Jasper dove for me, likely in an attempt to catch me. Mama Hale and my parents rushed behind him.

"Carlisle! Carlisle!" I heard Rosie shouting. "Something's wrong with Alice!"

Before I could say anything, I was being picked up and whisked away up the stairs into one of the guest rooms. Jasper set me down gently, his face full of concern.

"Alice? Speak to me please. Are you okay?"

"Wedding?" It was the only word I could find.

The worry on his face smoothed out a little when I spoke, but he still looked nervous. "Darlin', are you okay? The baby?"

Carlisle came in then, followed by my mom.

"Mom!" I cried out. She was at my side and had me in her arms faster than I had ever seen her move.

"Oh, baby, are you okay?"

I nodded.

Carlisle held one of my wrists, gently checking my pulse. "Alice, how do you feel?"

"Confused?"

And I was. A million thoughts flew around in my head as I tried to put everything together.

"Did you lose consciousness? Are you in pain?"

"No, I'm just…surprised? Overwhelmed?"

Jasper moved in, budging my mom out of the way a little so he could take my face into his warm and sweaty hands. His thumbs gently rubbed small circles on my cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Alice. I know you wanted to plan the wedding but there wasn't the time or money to do what you wanted and I wanted to marry you before she," he paused to rub my belly, "comes. If you don't want to do this, just say the word. Please don't hate me."

I sat up a little and kissed him before I whispered. "It's perfect, Jazzy."

"If it makes you feel any better, Rosie has offered to let you plan her wedding instead," he added.

I laughed aloud. "I was going to do that anyway!"

"How are you feeling, Alice?" Carlisle asked again.

"I'm fine, _Doctor_ Cullen. Could you please ask Carlisle to come back? I'd like him to be there when I get married."

There was a knock at the door, and when it opened I instantly tensed up. A very frustrated-looking Rosalie stood in the doorway with a very angry -looking Mama Hale.

"Care to explain this…MESS…Jasper?" she seethed. Her fury-filled eyes came to rest on my belly and I instinctively covered it, hoping to shield my baby from her evil laser-beam eyes of doom.

"If you're okay, Alice, I'll leave you to…" Carlisle trailed off, excusing himself.

Mom started to get up, but I grasped her arm firmly. "Stay, please," I whispered. "I need you."

A squeeze let me know she'd heard me, and I felt her settle in protectively beside me.

"Jasper?"

My love looked at me, pleading with me for something, but for what I have no idea.

"Yes, Mama?"

"Explain, please."

Mr. Hale and Daddy entered the room just before the big explanation began.

"Well, Mama, Dad, I'm marrying Alice today."

"And?" Her foot tapped angrily on the floor. I could tell her patience was waning and the sound of the tap-tap-tapping made me want to rip off her pointy shoe and shove it up her tight ass.

"And, well, we're having a baby. A girl. Alice is due in July. I guess that means you'll be grandparents, huh?" Jasper said nervously, only really half-looking at his mother.

Mama Hale's body began to vibrate as her breathing sounded like more like a whale out of water, taking its last heaving breaths. I thought for a second that she might keel over, but she didn't. Instead, she turned away from us, gripping the door frame so hard her knuckles whitened beneath the strain.

"Why?" she asked so quietly that I hardly heard her. "Why?" she repeated, much louder this time.

"Why what, Mama?" Jasper asked as he stood up, moving away from the bed.

Turning around, Mama Hale's face was uglied by some unreadable emotion. I suppose Botox would do that to a person. I almost feared that her face was going to crack and fall off if she continued to hold it the way she was.

"Why do you and your sister hate me so much? How could you do this to me?" She spoke loudly now. "I gave up so much for you two and this is how you treat me and your father?"

"Mama?" Rosalie asked, moving close enough to touch her arm. "Are you angry or upset with us? I'm confused."

I would have laughed at the question had it not been for the fact that Rosalie's normally strong voice had become that of a lost little girl. It damn near killed me to hear her reduced to that. Rosie has only ever wanted to please her mother—she may deny it, but all she's wanted was for her mother just once to say _good job_, or _I love you_. Instead, all she's ever heard is negativity.

This, right here, is what Rosie was most afraid of.

"I'm…I'm flabbergasted! I'm disgusted! I'm upset! I'm terribly disappointed in both of you."

Rosie collapsed under her mother's words and it wasn't long before Emmett rushed in to scoop her up. "How _dare_ you come into _our_ home and speak to her like that? How can you treat your _children_ like property?" He cradled her closer to him. "I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, I didn't want to believe that a parent could be so cold and cruel to their child, but I've realized lately that parents like mine and the Brandons are rare.

"If you can't love your children, then we will. If you can't put your petty nonsense behind you long enough to celebrate the biggest moments of their lives, then you aren't welcome here. I will _not_ have you acting like this under _our_ roof."

Mama Hale did a perfect impersonation of a fish out of water and we were all so focused on that that we didn't notice when Jaden ran into the room.

"Miss Rosie!" he shrieked before lunging at her. "Why are you crying? Sh…don't cry. Please. I love you." He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Whose child is this anyway?" Mama Hale asked to no one in particular.

"Ours," Rosie said, looking up at her mother with a glint of determination in her eye. Her arms wrapped around him protectively as Emmett readjusted his position so he was holding them both.

"What in the name of…How did you end up with this…this child?" Mama Hale spluttered, her face turning a strange shade of purple.

"It doesn't matter how, but he's a part of our lives and he doesn't need this. Mama, if you can't be civil under our roof, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Wow. When did Rosie grow balls?

"What are you saying, Rosalie?"

"I think Miss Rosie is trying to tell you that if you don't mind your manners, you will have to go into time out."

I had to muffle the giggle that squeaked out of me as I watched that little boy stand up to mean old nasty Mama Hale.

He wriggled out of Rosie's grip to stand before the frazzled woman, frowning. "Miss Rosie and Mr. Emmett are the nicest people in the world besides my mommy who is in Heaven. They treat me nice and scare away the monsters when I'm scared, so…" he paused before throwing his hands in the air and shouting, "BOO! GO AWAY! WE AREN'T AFRAID OF YOU!"

The room fell silent. All eyes were on the David and Goliath scene before us. That is, until Emmett lost his tenuous control and burst out laughing.

"Oh my God! Did you see _that_? Holy crap, little buddy, come here and give me five. Hell, give me ten! Woman, you just got schooled by a second grader. How does that feel?"

His laughter was contagious and we all ended up laughing, even Mr. Hale. "Oh my word, Lillian, that little boy just…oh my God…too funny!"

Mama Hale was turning bright red. "Donald, let's go. Jasper, take us to the hotel immediately! I know when I'm not wanted."

Mr. Hale was bent over laughing so hard he was crying. "No, no, I'm staying here, if it's okay with everyone. I'd like to see my son get married and get to know this fiesty little fella."

"But Donald—"

"Lillian, it's about time someone stood up to you. I should have done it years ago." He turned to Rosie, "Princess, I'm sorry about everything and I'd like to stay, that is, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind, Daddy!"

He looked at Jasper, then at me. "Jasper, Alice? Could I stay? I'd be honoured to be a part of your wedding."

Tears streamed down Jasper's face. "No, Dad, the honour would be all mine."

They met in the middle, hugging and crying. Mom wiped my face and gave me a hug.

Meanwhile, Mama Hale stormed off, leaving a cloud of stinky bitch behind her.

Jaden turned to Rosie. "I'm sorry, Miss Rosie, but she was being mean to you and it wasn't fair."

"No, sweetheart, it's okay. Thank you for trying to protect me. You were awesome."

He walked timidly over to Mr. Hale. "Mr. Rosie's Daddy? I'm sorry for yelling at _her_, but she was being rude to my Miss Rosie. You seem nice enough, so I'm not going to yell at you. You aren't going to be mean to her, are you?"

Mr. Hale knelt down in front of him so they were at eye level. "No, son, I won't. I promise."

"Pinky swear?" Jaden replied, holding out his little pinky finger.

"Pinky swear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go make sure that Mama hasn't made anyone else angry enough to shout at her. And then, maybe I can watch my son get married?"

We all nodded, smiling through our tears.

"Okay, I'll see y'all soon." He hugged the twins before leaving, whispering something to both of them that made each one smile and laugh.

Mom stood and clapped. "Okay, now that that's over with, all you menfolk need to vacate the premises so the bride can get ready. Someone send up Bella and Esme while you're at it.

Holy shit.

Now that the dust had cleared and so had the men, it hit me.

I'm getting married. Like, right fucking now.

Sweet merciful flying spaghetti monster on a pogo stick.

* * *

**Jaden to the rescue! Is there nothing that kid can't do?**

**Mama Hale is quite the piece of work, eh? Don't let your guard down because she's back in full effect in the next chapter.**

******Speaking of which, I'll post the second part of this chapter likely on Monday, and then dun dun dun-dun...on your regularly scheduled Thursday update, we'll take a trip down the aisle with Alice and Jasper.**

SQUEE!


	16. Chapter 14a

**Here's the second part of chapter fourteen. It's short, but should hold you over until Thursday, when we'll hopefully get to the wedding. **

**For those of you wanting to get a piece of Mama Hale, you might want to get behind Esme-she seems to be leading the pack of torch-wielding villagers on the quest to find and destroy the monster.**

* * *

_**Esme**_

The shouting upstairs had us all so nervous that no one noticed when Jaden sped up the stairs. I could only imagine what he was thinking.

Bella tried to go after him, but I stopped her. "He'll be okay. They won't let anything happen. Let's just wait it out—they don't need any extra bodies up there."

It felt like an eternity before Mrs. Hale came flying down the stairs, visibly upset.

"Isabella, take me to my hotel," she barked.

I watched as Bella's face paled. "I…I don't drive, Mrs. Hale. I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's right, you're _brain damaged_. Can one of you in your right minds drive me to my hotel? I've put up with enough for one day. That mannerless little urchin had the nerve to yell at me. Humph, I can see my daughter is teaching him how to be insolent, rude, and disrespectful just like she is."

I am not a violent woman by any means, but this…this _shrew_ had gone too far.

"Carlisle, give me your keys, please," I said through clenched teeth and a forced smile. "Are your bags still in the SUV, Lillian?"

"Yes."

"Carlisle, love, can you please help me with the bags?"

Edward stepped up; obviously irate over the way she had treated Bella. "I'll do it, Mom."

"No, son, you stay here with Bella, I'll do it," Carlisle offered, knowing full well that Bella would need some comforting.

Thankfully, Edward listened to his father and stayed behind. I was afraid he might damage her luggage. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't scold him very much for doing it, but I was afraid she would sue or try to inflict further damage on our families.

Always the gentleman, even when he is furious, my husband escorted us to the SUV, removed her bags from the vehicle, and placed them in the trunk of the Mercedes. "Do you want me to come?" he asked as he kissed me goodbye.

"No, I've got it. You'd better stay here. I'll be right back—the hotel isn't far, just a few minutes away. I think we need to have a motherly _bonding_ moment."

"Be safe. I love you. Keep your phone on you, please, and don't kill her."

"I won't touch her, if at all possible, and I promise to be safe. I love you too."

I got into the car and nearly choked on the anger radiating off this woman. She sat and mumbled to herself about her ungrateful family until I could take it no more. I pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway.

"Look, _Lillian_," I seethed, "you are so blind you can't see what an ungrateful monster you are. You have two incredible children back there whose hearts are breaking over you. You have torn those children down so many times it surprises me that they came out of your house as well-adjusted as they are."

"Look, _Mrs. Cullen_, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have asked. I am sick and tired of you people accusing me of being a terrible parent. I gave up so much for those two ungrateful brats, but do they ever thank me? No. They go out of their way to make my life hell!"

My jaw just about hit the centre console as I listened to her go on and on. "What exactly did you give up? What happened to make you resent those sweet children so much?"

"I fought tooth and nail to get where I am, Mrs. Cullen, and I would have been there a lot sooner had I not have to take time off to be pregnant.

"I never wanted them. I didn't ask to get knocked up, but I did. By the time I found out, it was too late to abort them."

I couldn't believe my ears. She spoke so…so…so matter-of-factly about this that I was in shock, unable to respond right away.

"When I came back after spending weeks in the goddamn hospital because I hemorrhaged and had to have a hysterectomy, all of my hard work had been for naught. My partner had taken all the credit for my goddamn work and HE got the promotion. He made my life hell! I was sexually harassed, put down, screamed at and taken advantage of so many times that I had a mental breakdown. I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF THEM!

"But no, everyone saw the two beautiful, blonde Hale angels and couldn't see how they destroyed me and everything I had worked so hard for."

"Did you ever love them, Lillian?" I asked softly.

Her face relaxed a little. "What do you think, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Please call me Esme."

"Esme, then, what do you think? No. I don't think I did. We didn't bond—they screamed when I held them, they threw up on my suits, and my own husband even preferred them over me."

"But the kids said their father wasn't very attentive, that he, well, was there, but not really."

"I saw how he adored them, I was…jealous. So, I beat him down. I needed a yes man, not a husband, so I whipped him into shape. He distanced himself from them to keep me happy.

"His father, however, he believed the sun and the moon were hung by those kids. I let PawPaw do the nurturing so Donald and I could move ahead with our careers." She stopped and sighed. "I see you passing judgement, Esme. I don't care. If you feel the need to take in my unappreciative waifs and mother them, then please do so. I never wished them harm and wanted nothing more than for them to be successful. Once again, I failed."

"How can you say that? Your children are intelligent, loving, and happy. Rosalie wants so desperately to do right by you that she went into business and has tackled it just as hard as you have, often foresaking her own needs and desires in the process. Did you know that she is top in her class?"

She shook her head.

"Did you know that they took in that little boy? No questions asked. They nursed him back to health never once thinking about themselves."

"What's the story with that kid anyway?"

"Not my story to tell. You'll have to ask them yourself," I replied, shaking my head.

"What's Jasper done that's so great?"

Oh, this woman would be the death of me. My God! The urge to crack her one upside the head and knock some sense into that thick, selfish skull of hers was growing by the second. "Jasper has worked his butt off at school AND work, and looking after Bella and Rosalie before Edward and Emmett came back into Bella's life. When Jaden was hospitalized, he took over Emmett's class so that he and Rose could be with Jaden full-time until he is settled.

"Your children are two of the most compassionate people I've had the honour of knowing and frankly, Lillian, I feel bad for you."

"Why?" she sneered. Yes, she had the nerve to _sneer_ at me.

"Why? Because you have missed out on a wonderful relationship with these two incredible people. They are more successful than you could ever aspire to be, and not because of their monetary value or career successes, but because they have the ability to love so freely."

"Whatever. Can you please start the car and get me to my hotel before I vomit after choking on this love bullshit."

I bit my tongue, put the car in gear and drove to the hotel. I didn't have time to put the car in park before she had jumped out and grabbed a bellboy. She slammed the door, and with that, the cloud of evil was finally out of the car and I could breathe again.

Until I cried.

Again, I found myself on the side of the road on my way back, only this time I was sobbing.

My phone chirped and I knew it was Carlisle. I answered it and cried until I was cried out—or so I thought. Moments later, Edward's Volvo pulled up ahead of my car and the moment I saw Carlisle, the tears began again. He helped me over into the passenger seat, holding my hand until we got back to the house.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Later. I need to calm down. How're the kids?"

"Surprisingly well. They're just waiting for us to get back to start the wedding."

Rosalie was on the front porch waiting when we returned.

"I'm sorry, Rosie, I tried to talk some sense into her…"

She threw herself at me. "It doesn't matter anymore, _Mom_. As long as I have you, I'll be okay."

I ran my hands up and down her back, trying to hold back the tears now threatening to fall again. _Mom_. She had called me _Mom_. My heart was so full that I thought it might burst. "You'll never lose me, sweetie. You know I, we, love you as one of our own, right?"

She nodded against my shoulder as she increased her hold on me.

"Then that's all that matters, beautiful girl."

Emmett came out. "The lady from the clerk's office is here and we need to do this. You two ready?"

Rosie smiled at me and I knew that yes, we were ready.

Bring it on.

* * *

**You're a mean one, Mama Hale...**

**So now we know why she's so pissed and I don't know about you, but I don't feel any better about it.**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts on this little development, good or bad.**

**I'll see you Thursday for the next update if all goes well. I have an office party to go to, so unless I can get online at lunch, my update might be late.**

**Thanks, Minna and Kathie. I big puffy heart you both for all of your hard work.**

**Oh, and don't forget to go check out the following site for upcoming Holiday Countdowns! I'll be writing one for Valentine's Day.  
****http : / www (DOT) wix (DOT) com / twilightfanfics / holidaycountdowns / site**


	17. Chapter 15

**I'm glad you survived the nastiness of Mama Hale. It's time to move onto something happier. A WEDDING!**

**I shan't keep you, except to thank the wonderfulness that is Minna and Katmom and all of their hard work, editing skills and patience.**

**Tissues *might* be required if you're prone to crying at weddings.**

**

* * *

**

_**Alice**_

Mom helped me get into a beautiful flowing white goddess dress—its origins baffled me, since it seems neither Mom nor Bella knew of this surprise. I'm pretty sure Rosie did, and I KNOW that Esme had her hand in the mix somewhere, because there's no way in hell our boys managed to pull this off without a woman's touch.

How they managed to keep it a secret from everyone, I'll never know. Emmett has the biggest mouth on the planet! Either way, I was getting married, I had a beautiful dress, and Mama Hale had finally hopped onto her broomstick and left the building.

About an hour after the fracas finally cleared, Esme knocked on the door to the guest room looking utterly exhausted.

"Esme? Are you okay?" I asked, running over to meet her. "Come, sit. Mom, can you get some water for her?"

We sat on the bed while she drank. "Is…is Mama Hale really gone?" I asked softly.

She nodded. "Yes, sweetie, she's gone. I don't know if we'll see her again, and frankly I hope that we don't. I pride myself on being a patient and understanding woman, but that _beast_ wore down my last nerve. I don't know if I've ever felt so…so…dirty? So emotionally exhausted?" She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder and I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around her. In all the time that I've known her, Esme has never looked so utterly devastated.

Thank gods. "I wish you didn't have to see that. I wish she hadn't shown up at all. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say. I didn't want her here anyway."

"How's Mr. Hale? Is he okay with what's going on? Why didn't he leave with _her_?" Esme practically spit the last word as she said it. Mama Hale must have really done something horrid, because Esme rarely behaved like this, or at least not in the time that I've known her.

"That remains to be seen."

Someone pounded on the door. "Tick tock, folks. We have the Justice of the Peace for a limited time. Get your cabooses down here!"

My mom laughed. "Oh, I do love your Emmett, Esme. What a delightfully free spirit he is."

Esme turned her face toward Mom and smiled brightly. "That's my boy." She sat up, gave me a kiss on the cheek and straightened out her clothes. "Well, I guess that's my cue to head on down and get seated. You're beautiful, sweetie, and don't let that _bitch_ ruin your day."

It was hard not to be shocked at her use of vulgarity, but I didn't have time to mull it over. Mom did one last once over before escorting me out of the bedroom where Daddy met me at the top of the stairs, blinking away his tears as he looked at me. There was so much love in his gaze that I couldn't help but cry. "Oh, Daddy," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Thank you for being here."

He smiled wetly at me. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world, Button."

I took a deep breath and nodded, indicating that I was ready to go meet my future.

Light piano music was playing as we reached the first floor. Bella and Rosie were waiting and beaming at me as I neared them. They were wearing identical burnt orange sundresses. Again, I wondered how this all came to be.

Daddy let me go to my girls and we all embraced, sniffling onto each other's shoulders.

"I'm so happy for you, Alice," Bella said.

"Thank you for being here for it."

Rosie kissed my cheek. "We wouldn't miss this for the world. Now come on, my brother is going to think you've changed your mind."

The girls picked up small, modest bouquets of stargazer lilies and walked out ahead of us. The music changed as Daddy and I reached the door of the deck, and when I heard the first lines of the song playing, I broke down.

_Stars shining bright above you;  
__Night breezes seem to whisper _I love you  
_Birds singing in the sycamore tree  
__Dream a little dream of me._

Jaden stood beside Edward's portable keyboard, smiling as he sang so sweetly to me.

_Say nighty-night and kiss me  
__Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me  
__When I'm alone, blue as can be  
__Dream a little dream of me._

He had sung a little of this song to me the day we were at the park singing and swinging. I had mentioned that I loved it when my dad had sung it to me when I was a little girl about his age. He confided that he loved it when his mom sang it to him as she put him to bed as well.

_Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you  
__Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you  
__But in your dreams, whatever they be  
__Dream a little dream of me._

When we reached him, I bent down and hugged him as close to me as Sunnybubbles would allow. "Thank you, Jaden. Thank you so VERY much. I love you."

"I love you too, Miss Alice. It was my idea to sing it because you said it was your favourite."

"Thank you, it was perfect."

I stood back up after placing a kiss on his cheek and smiled at Edward. He grinned back and winked.

Daddy led me to Jasper, who was standing under a beautiful gated trellis that hadn't been there before. It was then that I finally took a moment to look around me. The deck had been decorated with sheer fabric panels stretched between new trellises. Twinkle lights floated and swayed gently in the light evening breeze. It was mild for late May, and for that I was thankful.

My loved ones were all gathered around, everyone holding a simple stargazer lily in their hands and tears in their eyes. Jasper wore a very simple pair of dark linen pants and a loose-fitting white linen shirt. He looked incredible, but not because of his clothes, but because of his face—his eyes were bright and fixed on me, radiating an enormous amount of love and joy, while his crooked smile grew bigger—all because of me.

"Hi, darlin'," he whispered. "You look amazing."

I couldn't help the blush that flooded my face or the dampness in my thong—even at the altar. After such an incredibly emotional and trying day, he still knew how to elicit a strong physical reaction without even touching me.

"I love you," I whispered back, a huge lump forming in my throat.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the woman standing with us asked. I hadn't even noticed her. It wasn't the first time I'd seen her today, though, as she had joined us in the living room to go over everything for our license, just an hour earlier.

"Her mother and I do, and very happily at that," my emotional father managed to choke out. "We love you both. Be good to our babies, Jasper."

Daddy placed my hand in Jasper's before leaning in to plant a kiss on my cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Button."

The tears really began in earnest at that point—so much so that I couldn't respond other than by nodding at him.

Jasper and I stared at each other, drowning in each other's eyes as the Justice of the Peace spoke. I was going along with what Jasper was saying and doing until I heard the word VOW and I froze. I had nothing prepared!

"Alice, darlin', don't panic about the vows. I don't need to hear words to know that you love me, I just have to look in your eyes, see your smile, and feel our child kicking in your womb to know that you love me." He placed a hand over our child, who was celebrating early as she turned summersaults. "Family. You are my family. Meeting you was one of the first moments in my life when I felt like I belonged somewhere, was wanted somewhere.

"You have been my best friend, confidante, lover, and life for what feels like an eternity and yet this is just the beginning. I look forward to many more eternities spent by your side as your partner while we embark on our future as husband and wife…and parents."

I had never felt so full of love and emotion in my entire life and I feared that my heart was really going to explode.

"So, Alice Brandon, I want to be your husband through the good, the bad, the rich, the poor, through sickness, health, and midnight cravings for tacos. I don't want to spend another moment not bound to you in all ways possible for life."

It took everything in me not to jump him as he spoke the words. Unprepared vows be damned, I had something to say.

"Jasper, I too have loved you fully and completely since the first moment we locked eyes almost four years ago, and I KNEW without a doubt that you were my future and that we would be standing here before our family making this legal. I didn't, however, see THIS exactly—I didn't see me seven months pregnant and ambushed. I saw the big wedding with the bells and whistles—"

His smiled dropped, cutting me off before I could finish. I reached out and held his cheeks in my hands. "You didn't let me finish. I may have seen the big fancy wedding, but I don't want that—I don't NEED that. All I need is you and our family. The rest is gravy and I don't need gravy. I just need US."

I looked at our family and smiled tearfully. "I am SO incredibly touched that you are all here for this and that in spite of the chaos of not just the past nine months, but the past four years, we are ALL here right now, proof that love does win in the end.

"Gods, I'm off track. Pregnant brain and no ADHD meds make Alice a rambling fool—" I was doing it again. I turned back to the beautiful man before me.

"Jasper, I love you so fiercely that it hurts. You are the calm yin to my erratic and scattered yang and I can't even begin to think of a future without you.

"I promise with all of my heart, body and soul to honour our commitment and be there through it all—the good, the bad, the sick, the healthy, the poopy diapers, the first day of school, graduation, and I hope that when we're old and gray that we can sit on a porch swing somewhere and look back on our lives together as being the best days of our lives. I also promise that if, heaven forbid, these moments begin to fade in your mind, I will remind you of all of them, the good, the bad, and the ugly, although I doubt there will be any of those because—crap, I'm rambling again."

I took a deep breath to centre myself. "Yes, Jasper, I want to be your wife."

Everyone was laughing through their tears and although I felt like an ASS, I knew it was all good.

"Well, then," the woman said, chuckling, "I guess that by the power vested in me by the State of Washington…"

"WAIT!" Jaden yelled, running over to us. "You forgot the rings!"

Jasper smiled as he knelt down to be at eye level with Jaden. "Thanks, little buddy. It's a good thing we have you here to remind us."

The little guy blushed as he pulled the two rings from his pants pocket.

"It's my job as ring bear," he replied proudly, mispronouncing his title. No one corrected him, though, which pleased me to no end. This was neither the time, nor place, for that sort of thing.

"With this ring, Alice Brandon, I thee wed."

I felt the cool metal slide along my skin as he placed the very simple, but elegant silver band onto my finger.

I took Jasper's matching, but thicker, wedding band from Jaden's palm, kissed it, then placed it on his ring finger. "With this ring, Jasper Hale, I thee wed."

The Justice of the Peace looked at Jaden, who nodded solemnly to proceed, causing her to smile. "By the power vested in me by the State of Washington, I do happily declare you husband and wife." She looked back at Jaden and winked.

Jaden began jumping up and down. "You may now kiss Miss Alice, Mr. Jasper!"

My husband—wow, that sounds weird—wasted no time in pulling me close to him and kissing me passionately. I know it sounds cliché, but that kiss was unlike any other we had ever shared and I honestly lost track of where I was and what was going on.

It was my mother's heaving sobs that brought me back.

"Oh my baby," she said. It was hard not to laugh at the sight of Esme trying to comfort my mom while their husbands stood off to the side looking unsure as to what to do.

The Justice of the Peace cleared her throat and requested our attention to finish finalizing the paperwork. Emmett and Rosie signed off as our witnesses and as soon as all was completed to her satisfaction, she shook our hands and wished us well before she left.

Emmett grinned before he grabbed Jaden, hoisting him up onto his shoulders. "Let's get this party started! Who wants BBQ?"

Everyone cheered as he headed off to get things started, Jaden still riding high on his shoulders.

Sunnybubbles gave a hard kick to my bladder, prompting me to excuse myself to the washroom. Jasper escorted me there, leaving me with a searing kiss and a promise of more later.

I took a moment as I sat on the cool porcelain to go over the events of the day. It was hard to believe that it had begun so benignly with our trip to the spa. Then I realized, the more I thought about it, Esme had given every sign that something was up. Rosie had done a better job of keeping things mum—almost too good. I suppose knowing that Mama Hale was coming would have been a good distraction.

A light rap at the door stirred me from my thoughts. "Alice, darling, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Mom. Be right out."

Hm…how long had I been in there? Obviously long enough to make everyone worry. There was an audience awaiting my return in the hallway outside the loo.

"Sorry," I apologized, "it's been a strange day. I was just trying to make sense of—OH MY GOD! Angela! Ben! You're here!"

I ran over to hug my friends, then noticed Adam and Tyler standing in the kitchen, talking to Mr. Hale.

"Emmett called us yesterday and asked if we wanted to come for a barbecue and to check out the new house, which is AWESOME, I might add. He never once mentioned anything about a wedding! Oh my god, Alice, you are stunning! Congratulations!"

Angela and I hugged again as we made our way out to the kitchen, where I was met with hugs from Tyler and Adam.

"Bree and Leah had to work," Adam explained. "They'll be bummed they missed this."

"Thanks for coming anyway, guys. It's so great to see you; feels like it's been forever."

In true Tyler form, he turned up the drama. "Oh, Miss Alice, ever since you rose up in the world, what with your house and your baby and now your new husband, why, you just went and forgot about us little people, wallowing back in the mud. I see how easy it is for you to move on, leave us behind. Sigh."

Yes, he actually sighed the word _sigh_. "Oh, Tyler, I am ever so sorry," I said, playing along with him, trying to conjure up my best southern belle accent. "I never meant to make you feel like I had left you behind, but when this southern gent swept me off my feet and into his bed, thus sullying my virtue with this child I now carry in my belly, I kind of lost track of time, of place, and people. Just because I have a home, a husband, and soon a babe, it gives me no leave to act in such an unladylike fashion. Can you ever forgive me?" I fanned my face and batted my eyes at him the whole time.

Before long, we were all laughing and hugging again. Jasper approached us, accepting fist bumps and one-armed manhugs from the boys.

"I hate to interrupt, but Jaden is chomping at the bit for everyone to go outside. He says he has a surprise for us."

"Oh!" Angela squealed. "We finally get to meet Jaden!"

Rose stepped over to us and motioned for Angela to calm down. "Jaden's still pretty skittish around strangers, so don't be offended if he won't talk to you, okay?"

Our four friends nodded in unison.

"Hello?" Jaden said, his voice tinny as it rang out over the sound system. "Please, Miss Alice, Mr. Jasper, I can't wait much longer."

We all moved out onto the large upper deck which was now decorated with lit tiki torches, and tables draped in white cloths were set in a circle and lit by hurricane lanterns. It was incredible how quickly they managed to get it set up, and it looked beautiful!

"I did some reading about weddings on the interwebs with Mr. Edward and saw that at the reception Miss Alice and Mr. Jasper are supposed to dance. I wanted to do something nice for them because they are my friends and I love them, so I want to sing a song that Miss Rosie said would make Mr. Jasper very happy." He nodded toward Edward. "Mr. Edward?"

Edward began to play the familiar intro to one of my sweet husband's favourite songs. Jasper smiled widely, stepped before me, and asked for my hand. We moved to the centre and began to sway when Jaden's sweet voice rang out clearly.

_Wise men say only fools rush in  
But I can't help falling in love with you _

_Shall I say would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you_

Tears streamed down both of our faces as the little boy serenaded us.

"I love you, Mrs. Brandon Hale," he whispered before kissing me sweetly.

"Mm…I love you more, Mr. Hale. If I didn't hate your mother so much, I'd drop the Brandon part completely."

"I don't care, darlin', it's just a name and I REALLY don't want to talk about her again tonight."

"I'm cool with that," I replied, reaching up to pull his face in for another kiss.

Jasper's deep and husky voice harmonized with Jaden's as he sang to me.

_Like a river flows, surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be_

_Take my hand  
Take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you_

Everyone clapped and cheered when the song ended. Jaden ran over and wrapped his arms around us. "Was it okay? Did I do it right?" he asked softly.

I knelt down so I could be face-to-face with him and hugged him. "It couldn't have been more perfect, sweetie. I don't know any other seven year olds who know so many songs! Thank you for making our day so special."

He blushed, then looked down at his shoes as he replied, "I just love you guys, you know, and I wanted it to be just right. Mr. Edward and I haven't had much time to practice."

"It was perfect, buddy," Jasper added. "Thank you. Will you sing something else later?"

Jaden's eyes lit up. "Really? You want me to sing again?"

"We sure do. But first, I need to dance with my daddy. Will you promise to save a dance for me later?"

"Yup. I'm gonna go help Missus Esme in the kitchen right now, but I'll be back. Bye!"

He ran off toward the kitchen, skidding to a halt when he got to our friends. Emmett saw it happening and moved quickly to Jaden's side. We watched as he explained who they were and pointed to them as they were introduced. Jaden slowly moved so he was practically crawling up Em's back. I hoped he would be okay.

Daddy joined us, sighing a little when he saw Jaden's reaction to the _strangers_. "Poor little guy's got a long way to go, doesn't he?"

I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Yeah, but we'll get him through it. So, is it time for our dance?"

"Wait!" Mom called out. "Let me get a photo!"

PHOTOS! Oh, I hoped someone had thought to take photos during the brief sunset ceremony. It was getting too dark outside now to do any.

As always, Jasper knew what I was thinking. "Don't worry, darlin', Dad took photos and I have a photographer coming tomorrow to do some proper photos at the botanical gardens. I got it covered."

"Thank you, baby." I kissed his cheek. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go dance with my daddy."

Daddy waved at Edward, who moved to his laptop and queued up a song that I didn't recognize. "What song is this, daddy?"

He smiled down at me. "Just a little something I asked Edward to track down for me. Listen to the words, okay, Button?"

I never imagined my daddy/daughter dance would be to a country music song, but I quickly realized it didn't matter, that this song was perfect. The chorus brought on a torrent of tears from me and it made me love my dad even more than I already did.

_But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But it still hard to give her away  
I loved her first_

"Oh, Daddy!" I sobbed as we danced. "You'll always be my daddy and I'll always love you."

"Don't you forget that, my little Button. Even when you make me a grand daddy, you'll still be my baby girl."

Mom was flitting around snapping photos of us until the song was over. Edward moved back to his keyboard and began playing light, beautiful classical music, bringing the mood back to a more festive one.

Everything was so perfect. How I could have ever wanted something garish and over-the-top was beyond me.

"Excuse me, Alice?"

I turned my head to right and was face-to-face with Mr. Hale.

"My son is dancing with your mother, so I thought it might be nice if we, er…"

The poor man looked nervous and maybe even a little sad. I took his elbow, leading him out beside my husband *squee* and mother, who were deep in conversation.

"Alice, I want to apologize for-"

I cut him off. "Mr. Hale, you being here is apology enough. I can't thank you enough for staying and standing up to her. It means the world to Jasper and Rosalie."

He smiled a little, flashing that trademark Hale smirk. "Contrary to popular belief, Alice, I love my children dearly. Lillian just…she's…" he faltered as he tried to find the right words. "She is a…difficult woman."

"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered.

"I felt responsible for her misery, and I felt an inordinate amount of guilt that she lost so much because my swimmers were of Olympic quality. I would have taken the kids and left her years ago, but she made it very clear that her occupational shortcomings were ALL my fault, and it was my duty to stand by her, do what I could to keep her happy. She played the guilt card very well, she's a master manipulator. So, I endured. Had my father not filled in for me, well, I might have left her before, consequences be damned, but Dad was so good to them that I couldn't do it."

"So you sat back and _endured_ it, leaving your children to grow up believing they weren't worthy of your love?" It came out harsher than I had intended, but it was all true. I wouldn't apologize for it.

"I deserved that. I don't deserve the forgiveness of my children. I'm just happy they turned out as well as they did. I've always been proud of them, Alice, I have always loved them—I just couldn't show it."

"You're a coward."

He stopped our dance and sighed. "Yes, I am. I hope it's not too late to make up for it."

I took his hand and placed it on my belly. Sunnybubbles was loving all the dancing and was doing a jig of her own. Mr. Hale's eyes grew huge as she brushed up against where his hands were. "You have another chance, Mr. Hale. This baby girl will never have to know about her neglectful PawPaw if you don't screw this up. Be the father THEY deserved all along, and be the doting, loving PawPaw she needs."

Mr. Hale smiled at me through tearful eyes. "Thank you, and please, Alice, call me Donald."

I nodded and smiled weakly at Mr. Hale, Donald, before taking a deep breath. "I'll say this once and once only—Lillian Hale will NEVER have access to our baby. EVER. I don't want her poisoning my child with her venom."

"I understand."

Donald Hale leaned in to place a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Now, go dance with your daughter and start mending all the hurt you've inflicted on her. Before you go back, I want you to have the same conversation with Jasper.

"They are beautiful, fragile souls, so please be gentle; they break easily."

He smiled down at me. "You're good people, Alice. I'm so glad Jasper found you. Thank you."

I pointed toward Rosalie. "Go."

Jasper joined me in watching as his father approached his twin. They exchanged a few words until she threw herself into his arms and cried.

Edward cleared his throat. "In honour of daddies and little girls, I'd like to sing this song for you. I used to sing it to my little girl when she was…" his voice faltered and he cleared his throat before he began singing Billy Joel's _Lullaby_.

The daddies all grabbed a daughter, which meant that Carlisle escorted Bella out onto dance area and danced, just basking in the moment. My heart broke for poor Edward who would never get to dance with his little angel on her wedding day. It must have been incredibly hard for him to do this and I would be eternally grateful for this amazing gift he had bestowed upon us.

When the last notes faded and he moved back to the playlist on his laptop, I walked over and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Edward. That was beautiful. It means so much that you—"

"Sh, Ali. You're welcome. Congratulations and may you only know the extreme joys in life and know that if dark days descend we will always be here with you."

Bella cleared her throat behind us. "I could really use a hug right about now."

We opened our arms, welcoming her into our hug.

"I love you guys, thank you so much."

"Ali, I honestly had no idea Jasper was cooking this up. I don't know why you're thanking me."

"For being here with me. For being you. For being my best friend for all these years."

We turned back to observe the party that was going on around us. Esme was teaching Jaden how to do the twist while everyone cheered them on. Emmett was back at the grill, which was smelling better and better by the second.

My traitorous stomach growled, alerting Bella that I was hungry. She actually heard it over the music.

"Come on, Ali, you need food for your belly."

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**So, what did you think?**

**Songs in this chapter:  
_Dream a Little Dream of Me_ by the Mamas and the Papas  
_Can't Help Falling in Love_ by Elvis Presley  
_I Saw Her First_ by Heartland **

**I just want to take a second to thank everyone for reviewing and PMing me. _Around the Bend_ is about to hit 500 reviews! Thanks so much for your ongoing support and the crazy love you have for my version of these beloved characters, and the new ones I've introduced. **

**See you next week!**


	18. Chapter 16

**We're back at the reception, folks.**

**Katmom and Minna are egg to my nog, the Swiss to my Chalet, the merry to my Christmas. **

**Have you hugged your beta today?

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**

_**Emmett**_

It was great watching everyone chow down on the grub I'd made for the reception. Mom made salads and I handled the meat and grilled vegetables. It was a most sumptuous feast if I said so myself.

Jaden was a little skittish, but he was handling having so many new people around him like a pro. Mom had managed to get him out dancing before we sat down for dinner, and he had expressed interest in singing another song later when we got the karaoke going.

People told stories and made toasts to the newlyweds and more often than not, I found myself wishing it was OUR wedding I was observing. Rosie and I had discussed it at length, especially when Jazz approached us about the surprise nuptials. We wanted to wait until we were more financially settled and Jaden was doing better. Hell, we still weren't sure if we'd get to keep him for good or not.

Karaoke started up and hilarity ensued. Jaden ended up singing a dozen songs before he fell asleep in my lap. Everyone had kept asking him to sing with them and he was eating it up. He even got up and sang the Spongebob theme song with Tyler.

I was carrying him upstairs to put him to bed when I heard a loud bang.

Oh shit! Fireworks!

Jaden's eyes flew open and he began to scream at the top of his lungs. His limbs flailed against me and it took everything in me to keep from dropping him. I managed to get us to the bedroom and tried calming him down, but his screaming got worse with every loud bang. I flung open the window yelling for them to stop.

It wasn't long before Rosie, Esme, and Carlisle came running into his room. Jaden wasn't even really with us anymore, his eyes were blank and vacant; his screams were rhythmic and almost robotic.

"Dad, can you…?"

"Yes, hang on." Dad ran out of the room and came back with his medical bag. He prepared a syringe of sedative and quickly administered it. Within seconds, Jaden slumped limply in my arms, his eyes closed, his mouth slack, his breathing ragged, and his little heart racing so hard and fast that I could feel it as I held him.

I looked down and noticed that he had wet himself, so I carried him to the bathroom. As Mom ran some water in the tub, I stripped him down and saw that he'd also shit his pants.

"Man," I said, as I covered his cast with a bag to keep it dry, "he really lost it this time."

"Was it…?" Mom asked softly.

"The fireworks? Yeah, I never even thought about it because I didn't think anyone would bring them."

Mom and I got him cleaned and changed into warm, dry pajamas before putting him to bed. Rosie toed off her shoes and crawled in with him. "I'll stay, you guys go debrief the others and for the love of god, get rid of the fireworks!"

I kissed them both before leading my folks out of the room. "Thanks, Dad. Do you always keep sedatives on hand like that?"

He ran his fingers through his hair in a very Cullen way before replying. "I figured this might get overwhelming for him and it might be needed."

"This is the first freak out he's had in a while. I hope it doesn't set him back too much. He's been doing so well."

Mom let out a shaky breath before taking one of my hands in hers. "We'll get him through it, sweetie. Now, let's go back to the party. Rosie will let us know if she needs us."

I hated to leave them, but she was right; I had a houseful of friends and family who were all supposed to be celebrating. "Okay, Ma."

Worried faces met us as we entered the kitchen and that just wouldn't do. "Edward, put the music back on. Everyone, as you were."

Alice rushed over. "Is he okay?"

"He's sleeping. Rosie's staying with him in case he wakes up. Dad gave him a shot of something to calm him down so he'll likely be out for the rest of the night. Don't worry, Little One, he'll be okay."

I wiped at a big fat tear tracking slowly down her cheek. "No tears on your wedding day, Alice, please? Smile for me? I need to see a smile from the beautiful bride." She smiled a little, and I realized it would have to be enough. "That's my girl. Now, let's go out there and do the Macarena or something."

Ben, Tyler and Adam all approached me nervously as we walked out onto the deck. "Man, we didn't know. We're so sorry," Ben said. "We—"

I cut him off. "It's okay, dude. I should have let you know."

"How is he?" Tyler asked.

"He's sleeping now. He'll be okay." I turned to the bar fridge on the deck. "I don't know about you, but I could use a beer. Drink up, boys."

I was glad when the party resumed because I needed a distraction. My mind kept drifting to the little guy upstairs and my girl who stayed behind to comfort him.

"Bro, come here for a sec, would you?" Edward said quietly, nudging me toward the lower deck.

I followed him down to the yard where it was a little quieter, darker, and I immediately felt a little better; I felt like I could breathe.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks, Edward."

"You had a look on your face that was somewhere between _I'm going to kill someone_ and _I'm going to cry._ I thought maybe you could use a breather."

"I don't know what to do, Edward. I'm torn. My heart tells me that I should be up there with them, but logic is telling me not to let this ruin Ali and Jasper's big day. I want to be mad about the fireworks, but I can't because they didn't know. I…"

I was at a loss for words. My head was pounding and the beer wasn't helping.

"Gotcha. Just take a minute and breathe, Em. If there's one thing I've learned from all the therapists, groups, and yogic shamans I've met, breathing is essential. My problem is that when I don't step back and do it, my reactions are extreme."

I laughed. "Extremely wrong."

Edward punched my arm lightly. "Touché, douche. But, seriously, sometimes you need to take a step back and ground yourself before putting yourself back into the fray.

"Today has been an exceptionally emotionally draining day; we're all feeling it. I can't imagine, though, how you've managed this long before breaking."

"I'm not broken," I objected loudly. His words and insinuation cut me deep.

Holding his hands up in surrender, Edward rescinded his remark. "Not what I meant to say," he backpedaled. "You are, brother mine, _the_ strongest person I know, and I'm not just talking about your guns. I'm talking mentally, emotionally…all of it."

"Stronger than Pop?" My father was a pinnacle of strength in my eyes.

"Yup, definitely more than Pop. So, just because you're Superman—"

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, "what's my name, bitch?"

I had to stifle a chuckle when Edward rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, then, _Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen_, just because you are a superhero doesn't mean you have to be one all the time. Everyone has their kryptonite and it's okay to have moments of weakness where you need to lean on your trusty sidekicks to regroup and come back stronger. If you don't you'll…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

"What happens, Eddie?" I asked quietly although I knew the answer. I wasn't being cruel, I was making him take responsibility.

"You…you snap. You snap and you lose everything. You run. So please, Em, don't pull an Edward, okay? Don't be like me because it's _so_ not worth it."

"I'd never run; I could never leave them."

"Maybe not physically, but you'd start shutting them out. Before, you turned to sex to deal with everything, as your escape; what would be your drug of choice this time?"

Edward leaned into me, knocking shoulders. "I didn't mean for this to turn so dark. All I wanted to say was that it's okay to step back, take a deep breath, and lean on us when you're overwhelmed. We're family."

I nodded, afraid that if I tried to open my pie hole I'd end up bawling like a baby. So, we sat, listening to the party going on above us, chuckling when the songs people were singing became sloppier and more hilarious. Alice's father started singing _Umbrella_, and I think Mr. Hale even jumped in with the echoing –ella ella ella eh eh. I laughed in earnest, earning a loud and relieved exhalation from my brother.

"You're okay, then, Em?"

"Yeah, thanks, Edward. I needed that." I stood, hugging him. "Funny how the tables have turned, eh?"

"It's my pleasure. Please let me repay at least a portion of the huge debt I owe you."

I pulled him closer and gave him a light noogie. "You may live to regret uttering those words, little brother, because you owe me BIG TIME!"

He laughed before giving me one last squeeze. "I could use a beer. Why don't we head up and grab one."

"Just give me another second okay?"

Edward nodded. "Gotcha. Don't be long or else Mom'll be down here fussing over you. I can only fend her off for so long."

The steps shook slightly as he ascended. Hm…they're pretty damn sturdy. Won't have to replace the deck any time soon.

God, why am I thinking about the damn deck? I should be…no, breathe, Emmett. It's okay to think about the deck—an unstable deck could be dangerous, so it's important. A good foundation is essential.

Fuck, my thought process was just… fucked. There's been so much to think about and worry about and most of it revolved around Jaden. He had come so far in so little time, but he still had so far to go. We had a therapy session tomorrow with Dr. Scott, well, Jaden had a session tomorrow; Rosie and I had an appointment with a detective from the precinct in charge of his case. They wanted to show us the note Jaden's father had left behind.

Before that we had the wedding/graduation photo shoot. Thank God it was before his appointment because I doubt the three of us would be in any shape for smiling. We usually stayed close to home after therapy in case Jaden were to have a meltdown. He was also prone to needing a lot of physical contact from either Rosie or Mom immediately afterward. I was cool with that and thankful to have Mom here for extra help.

Then we had graduation.

I hoped, hell, I prayed that after graduation things would calm down. We needed some serious downtime and I thought about taking Rosie and Jaden away, someplace warm, sunny, and quiet—not for long, just a week—just the three of us.

"Emmett?" Mom called out. "You still down there?"

"I'm coming, Ma," I called back as I stood.

I could have sworn I heard her mumble _that's what she said_ as I started up the stairs.

_**Jasper**_

I had to admit that things had turned out amazingly well for a thrown-together-at-the-last-minute wedding. Of course _mother dearest_ had to taint my special day, but that evaporated the second I saw Alice step out onto the deck.

We were dancing together as Bella sang Madonna's classic _Crazy for You_ to us. It was such an intimate moment, so special, so—so perfect, and I wanted to cherish it forever, but my eyes and thoughts were diverted when I noticed that Emmett had finally come back up the stairs and he was looking a little haggard. Esme enveloped him in a motherly embrace, whispering into his ear and making him smile a little. He straightened up and placed a gentle kiss atop her head and for a brief moment, I longed for such an easy and obviously loving relationship with my own mother. Then I remembered that her hugs were sharp like her tongue and painful like her words and I felt that familiar longing for a mother's unconditional love.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Alice moved back a bit so she could look at me, assessing my face for clues.

I tried to smile, but failed. "Not something I want to talk about right now."

Alice's head turned so she could see what I had been looking at, then sighed. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry. You're right, we can talk about it later. Please don't let _her_ ruin our moment."

Pouty lips begging to be claimed appeared before me, so I obliged, kissing her not with lust, but with deep love. Her grip on me increased, her mouth moving with mine, our deep adoration spoken in tangled tongues and quiet moans.

The movement of our mouths halted, leaving us both panting and breathless as we stared adoringly at each other.

"You're all I need, Alice."

She smiled dreamily at me, her eyes heavy. "Ditto, baby, although I'm going to have to switch some of my devout allegiance to sleep soon. I'm exhausted."

"Not much longer. We can start saying our goodbyes now if you want."

She yawned. "Yes, please."

While Alice spoke with the girls, Edward put on a playlist from his laptop and joined me as I spoke with Em and the dads.

"Dad, do you want us to take you to the hotel when Alice and I head to the bed and breakfast?"

He paled a little. "Son, it might not be safe for me to be near your mother for a couple of days—she needs to cool off. Liam and Millie offered to let me stay with them at your house. I'd like to do that if it's okay with you; I'm just getting to know them and we're having an awful lot of fun. Hell, this is the most fun I've had in years!"

I couldn't help the smile that overtook my face as I hugged him. "Dad, you can stay as long as you want. I'm just glad you're here."

"I love you, Jasper. I'm sorry for…"

I cut him off. "I forgive you, Dad."

We hugged for a moment longer, and truth be told, I didn't want to let him go; I was too scared that it was just a dream and that when I woke up in the morning, he'd be the ghost father I'd grown up with.

"PawPaw would be so proud of you, son. You know that, right? He's probably up in heaven telling everyone to watch this because he's bursting with pride."

"Damn, Dad, you're going to make me cry."

"I love you, Jas."

"You too, Dad."

I thanked everyone for their help in putting it all together and reminded them to meet us at the botanical gardens at 9:30.

Alice and I traded places so she could say bye to the men while I thanked the amazing women in my life, although Rosie was still upstairs with Jaden.

Esme grabbed me first, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. "Jasper, sweetie, no matter what that _woman_ says, you are loved, you are successful, and you are worthy of the blessings you've been given. I also wanted you to know that if she can't love you in the way you deserve, then I will gladly step in and do it.

"You have a place in my heart along with my other children and my arms are always open to you."

"Damn it, Esme," I said, chuckling hoarsely, "first my daddy gets me weepy, and now you're gonna make me cry."

Her hold increased. "I hope they're only ever happy tears from now on, sweetie."

"They are. Thank you, Esme. You have no idea how good it feels."

"You are one of us, Jasper. I love you like one of my own."

"Thanks." I looked over at Millie and laughed. "Seems my mother-in-law is chomping at the bit to get her hands on me."

"Take care, sweetheart." She pulled back and cupped my cheek as she stared lovingly at me. I leaned into her hand and smiled before placing a soft kiss atop her head.

I moved over to Millie, whose hug rivaled the grip of an oversized boa constrictor, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. "My baby boy," she sighed.

"Hi, Millie. Thanks."

"What for?"

"For Alice. For loving her and raising her to be the entrancing and amazing woman she is; for allowing her to love me and spend the rest of her life with me and for trusting me with her. For loving me when my own mother couldn't find it in her heart to do so."

"Oh, sweet pea, I fell in love with you the second I saw you and I knew that one day you'd be my son. I had faith that the stars had aligned in your favour, and it paid off.

"Welcome to the family, Jasper. Liam and I are both crazy about you and can't wait to watch the love between you and our baby girl continue to grow."

Bella was next and her hug was no less powerful. "I'm so happy that I could burst, Jazzy. Congratulations."

"Thanks, darlin'."

"I am, however, slightly peeved that you didn't trust me enough to tell me what you were up to."

I looked her in the eye as I explained. I knew this was coming and I hoped that she would understand that it wasn't anything against her. "It's not YOU we didn't trust, it's your blush."

"My blush? What do you mean?"

"You blush at the drop of a hat—we're all very adept at reading the red on your cheeks. If Alice had suspected something was up and had asked you about it—"

"—my blush would have given it away. Gotcha. Out of everyone, I'm probably the least immune to her interrogation methods." She smiled. "I understand, and I'm not upset. It's about time I take one for the team."

"So really, you WERE part of the plan, an important part, because your ignorance was integral to our ruse. Good job, Agent Swan." I mock saluted her.

"All in a day's work, Agent Hale. Now, go find the bride and woo the hell out of her tonight." She leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Love you, Jazzy."

"Love you too, Bells. See you in the morning."

Alice took my hand as we walked toward the door into the house. "Oh! The bouquet! I almost forgot to throw it."

"I have a better idea, darlin'. Grab your flowers and come with me."

I led her up to Jaden's room, opening it a crack and saw Rosie waving for us to come in. My poor sister looked like shit; her eyes were red, wet and swollen, and her face was blotchy. Alice ran over to her.

"Oh, Rosie, are you okay?"

She nodded, sniffling. "I'm sorry I missed the rest of the party."

"No, don't be. Yes, we missed you, but he's more important. How is he?" Alice reached over and pushed a sweaty lock of hair off his forehead.

"Okay. He's still pretty out of it. Carlisle comes up every half hour or so to check on him and seems to think he'll sleep through until morning, but I can't leave him. What if he wakes up scared? Confused?"

I moved over and put my hand on my twin's shoulder. Grief, confusion and fear radiated from her and I wished so badly that I could take some of it away from her.

"Jazzy, I'm sorry."

"Stop, Rosie. There's no need for apologies. You were instrumental in putting together the most amazing day of my life, so please stop apologizing. Today was about family, and Jaden is a part of our family. We take care of our own."

My sister broke down at that moment, so I knelt beside her. "Come here, Rosie." I pulled her into my arms and rocked her. "I love you, sis."

"I love you too."

"We got Daddy back, Rosie."

That made her cry even harder. "I know, Jazzy. I can't even care that _she's_ gone; I'm just so happy that we got our daddy back. PawPaw would be so happy. He always said that one day Daddy would open his eyes and pull his head out of his ass and he'd finally choose us over her. I was starting to think he was wrong, but he was right, Jazzy, PawPaw sent him back to us."

I was crying at this point too. "I know, Rosie. I remember before PawPaw died that he said he'd be watching over us and he'd make sure Daddy came around." I sighed heavily and let out a louder sob. "I miss PawPaw, Rosie. So bad."

"I know, so do I."

We held each other until our crying subsided. I moved a hand to wipe the moisture from her cheeks and smiled. "Thanks, sis. I love you."

She smiled at me, her blue eyes sparkling. "I love you too, now you two best get to your honeymoon suite. You've only got it for the night. Alice, there's a bag of clothes and necessities already there for you, as long as _someone_ remembered to take it over."

I moved away so that Alice could hug my sister. They whispered to each other in the way that girls do that always ends in giggles and rosy cheeks. Alice placed a quick kiss on Jaden's forehead before she stood, took my hand and began walking to the door.

"Oh, Rosie? I forgot something," Alice said, turning and tossing the bouquet toward her. "Catch."

Rosie looked confused for a second, then grinned widely.

"You're next, sis."

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**Sigh...drama-rama...can these poor people ever get a moment's peace?**

**I wanted to thank everyone for getting Around the Bend over the 500 review mark. Really. I'm floored.**

**Someone made me very happy (and weepy) last week when I was featured in The Fandom Spotlight. Thanks so much for that. It really means a lot.  
http : / / fandomspotlight . blogspot . com / 2010/ 12 /todays-spotlight-is-on-submitted . html#links **

**I'm dedicating this chapter to my father, who would have been 71 today. Happy Birthday, Daddy.**


	19. Chapter 17

**I know it's not Thursday, but it's almost Christmas, I'm going to be out all day tomorrow and I'll be spending hours on a bus on Friday headin' to my Momma's, so I thought I'd give you a wee prezzie and update early instead of making you wait until I get back from Momma's.**

**That was a long sentence.**

**Big thanks to Minna and Katmom, who are the Christmas to my tree, the drummer to my boy and the milk to my cookies.**

**Be warned...tissues may be needed for this one.**

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_**Jaden**_

I hate today.

No, I really do. I woke up all fuzzy and sore which made me grouchy and then I couldn't remember how I got to bed and how come Miss Rosie was sleeping beside me. Something bad must have happened.

She woke up when I got out of bed and smiled. "Morning, buddy. How're you feeling?"

I just turned and walked into the bathroom so I could pee. I know it was rude, but I wasn't in the mood to talk; I just wanted to cry, but I didn't know why so that made me even madder.

Miss Rosie was making the bed when I came back out and she gave me _that_ look—the one that made me sad, the one that said she knew I was feeling bad but she didn't know how to make it better.

"Want to talk about it?"

I shook my head and stared at my feet.

She sighed and when I looked back at her, I saw her shoulders drooping. "You okay?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Are you going to use your words today?"

Again, I shook my head. I knew it was making her sad, but I didn't want to use my words, at least not right this second. Heck, I didn't even know if I _could_ use them.

"Can I give you a hug?" she asked sadly, as she sat back down on the bottom bunk.

I moved over and climbed into her lap where I knew I was safe and words didn't matter. When her arms wrapped around me and she rested her head on mine, I exhaled loudly and relaxed a little. I felt warm and snuggly and happy here, but not enough to use my words. My thumb moved up to my mouth and I rubbed my pointer finger on my nose, wishing I had Chocolate with me. I missed him.

Maybe I could go visit with him and Lily later.

Miss Rosie rocked us and hummed a song I didn't know until I was almost asleep again.

"Feeling better?"

I nodded slowly, looking up at her. I wanted to cry because she looked so sad, and I knew that I was the one who made her feel that way. I moved my other hand and touched her cheek. She smiled, closed her eyes and rested it in my palm.

"Thanks, buddy. Are you hungry?"

Was I hungry? I shrugged because I wasn't sure if I was or not.

"Should we go downstairs and see what we can find for breakfast? You can get dressed after—we have to go do wedding photos this morning. I hope you don't mind getting dressed up again."

She stood and moved me so I was sitting on her hip. Miss Rosie sure was strong to be able to carry me. I mean, I'm not a big kid, but I'm no kindergartener. I didn't care, though. I liked when Miss Rosie carried me, it made me feel safe, loved.

We walked downstairs and found the kitchen full of people and really nice smells.

"Who wants waffles?" Miss Bella called out.

Everything went crazy after that because people were fighting over the waffles, that is, until Missus Esme put her foot down.

"WHOA! One at a time, women and children first," she shouted, winking at me. "There are more than enough for everyone. We've got three waffle makers on the go; it's just going to take a few minutes. So," she said, turning to me, "what does Jaden want on his waffle?"

I hid my face in Miss Rosie's hair and chewed on my thumb. There were too many people looking at me, I was nervous.

"Okay, everyone out of the kitchen until we call you." I had to laugh because Missus Esme shooed everyone out of the room after she said that. All those big grown up men left and pouted like little kids as they went away.

When it was just me, Miss Bella, Miss Rosie, and Missus Esme in the kitchen, I was set down on the island. Miss Rosie pointed at the fruits and sauces. "You can have whatever you want on your waffle. Just point to what you would like to have."

I picked bananas, strawberries, chocolate, and whipped cream, which Miss Bella put on in the shape of a heart before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"A heart because we love you."

Although I tried to stop it, I smiled big at her. There's just something warm about Miss Bella that makes me feel, I don't know, like my mommy is here. She feels like a mommy. I held my arms out to her for a hug, which she happily gave me.

"We do love you, no matter what. Always remember that. You're family, Jaden, and no one here will hurt you—you're safe."

My throat started to hurt and my eyes prickled as she talked to me and rubbed my back. I nodded against her shoulder and gave her an extra hard squeeze.

"Good, now I need to get the rest of these waffles made before Emmett eats the raw batter."

Miss Rosie helped me down onto a stool so I could eat my breakfast, which was AMAZING! Best waffle EVER! I didn't realize I was making noises until I saw them giggling at me. I blushed, embarrassed at first, but then I didn't care because they were just THAT good.

I stayed in the kitchen to eat while Mr. Emmy, Mr. Edward and the daddies ate outside on the deck. The sun was shining and Missus Esme said that it looked like it might be a nice day for photos.

Missus Millie sat beside me and smiled. "Pretty tasty, isn't it? Bella certainly knows the ins and outs of waffle-making."

Miss Bella smiled at her, but then frowned. "Something's missing. Oh, wait!" She moved over to the counter by the fridge and turned on some music. "We were missing the most important ingredient—music!"

She danced over to me and sang into a spatula. I couldn't help myself, I had to dance, so I hopped down and danced with Miss Bella first, then the other ladies all joined in. It was a fun song about a dancing queen that everyone seemed to know because they were all singing as we danced.

Miss Alice joined us when she and Mr. Jasper arrived. He stood there laughing as we danced, but I didn't care. I was having too much fun. They took turns dancing with me, twirling me around and I did the new dance Missus Esme had taught me.

When the song was over, everyone was in a good mood, even me. Mommy always said that music could soothe the savage beast, or a grumpy Jaden, and she was right.

Miss Rosie asked if I had had enough breakfast, and if I had, I should probably wash up and get ready for the photo shoot. Mr. Emmett picked me up and threw me over his shoulder to carry me upstairs.

"Bath or shower?" he asked as we entered the bathroom.

I pointed to the tub. The last time I had tried to wash my hair in the shower I didn't get all the soap out and ended up with flaky stuff on my head. It's hard to wash your hair with a cast on your arm.

"Bubbles or not?"

I pulled the jug of bubble bath out from under the sink. Sure, we're both men, but a boy needs some privacy. Bubbles make a great cover.

Mr. Emmett turned on the tub and put in the bubble bath. When it was time for me to get in, he turned around so I could pull off my pajama pants and jump in.

"Keep your cast up!" he said as he came over with a plastic bag and some tape. "I'll be glad when they cut that thing off—how're we supposed to play with the bath toys with you in a cast?"

I laughed when he flicked some bubbles at me.

"I'm happy to see you smiling, little buddy. I know you're not using your words today, which is fine because that's your right, and I promise we won't push you. I'm just happy to see that even though you're not talking, you can still smile. Did you have fun in the kitchen dancing with the ladies?"

There was a perfect peak of bubble gum smelling suds just begging to be smeared in Mr. Emmett's face, so I did it, and he fell back on his butt laughing. "You got me! I'm hit!"

Miss Rosie poked her head into the bathroom. "Hey, less soap fighting and more dirt fighting. We're on a tight schedule. Jaden, I put out some clothes on the bottom bunk for you. Now, Emmett, wash that boy's hair and hurry. We have to get going!"

We looked at each other, then at Miss Rosie and laughed. Mr. Emmett jumped up, grabbed some suds and ran after her. Poor Miss Rosie ran off screaming and squealing, which made me laugh even harder. If today kept being so funny, my stomach would be a lot more sore later on.

Of course we were late for the photos, but that was okay because they did Miss Alice and Mr. Jasper's wedding photos first, then they added the rest of us. It was fun because there were lots of silly pictures in between the serious ones.

Then they did the graduation photos with Miss Alice, Mr. Jasper, and Miss Rosie. When they were finished, they did family photos.

I was sure they would tell me to move out of the way since they weren't really my family, but they didn't. I was in most of them and did some funny ones with Mr. Emmett and Miss Rosie. My favourite one was the one where they were each kissing one of my cheeks.

Doc Carlisle took everyone out for lunch at a fancy restaurant before I had to go see Dr. Scott.

Ugh. Dr. Scott is a nice enough guy, but some days he asks too many questions. Most days, though, he doesn't—he'll ask a couple of questions and just let me draw what I'm feeling about what he's asked. It's not as if I'm going to talk to him. He's NEVER heard me use my words, and I don't think he likely will. It's not safe.

Missus Esme took me to see him while Miss Rosie and Mr. Emmett went to another appointment. They told me that I could go visit Lily after I was done with Dr. Scott, so that made me happy.

Dr. Scott ruined my good mood pretty quickly when he started talking about my mommy. He asked me to draw a picture of a happy time with mommy, and at first I was okay with it, but after a few minutes I started feeling angry and sad and…

"Whoa, Jaden, what's wrong?" He moved to stop me from drawing. I looked down and had scribbled all over mommy with a black crayon.

My heart was racing, my head was pounding and it was hard to breathe. Everything was confusing me.

"Jaden, calm down, please. Look at me, little guy. You're okay."

Everything was hazy after that until Missus Esme started rocking me. I don't remember her coming into the room at all. When did that happen?

"Shhh, sweetheart, it's okay. You're safe."

I was crying. Again. I was blowing snot bubbles all over her pretty blouse and I felt bad about it.

"Let's get out of here, okay?" she asked softly as she stood up. I wrapped my legs around her waist and let her carry me out of Dr. Scott's office. I think I heard him say something about talking to Mr. Emmett later.

We started walking away from the direction I wanted to be going on. I wanted to see Lily, and her room was not this way. I panicked and tried to tell Missus Esme to turn back without using my words, but she didn't understand.

"Lily, please," I whispered.

"Are you sure? You're quite upset."

"I need Lily and Chocolate, please, Missus Esme." I tried pleading with her until I burst into tears again. Stupid tears…

She rubbed my back as she turned us around and walked toward the children's ward where Lily was.

"It's okay, sweetheart, I know you're upset. You've had a rough time, but we're here for you when you're ready to talk about it. Dr. Scott is a good man, and I know he upsets you, but he's just trying to help."

I huffed loudly.

She laughed. "Okay, okay, we won't talk about it. Oh, hi, Peter, how's Lily today?"

I wriggled out of Missus Esme's arms and ran into Lily's room as soon as my feet touched the floor. I climbed over the railing and into her bed where I curled up beside her and rubbed Chocolate's antler under my nose until I started to feel better.

"Lily, I'm having a bad afternoon, I'm sorry I'm not in a good mood and I'm sorry for hogging Chocolate, but I need to borrow him for a few minutes."

I felt her hand twitch beside me, so I took it in my other hand and smiled when she squeezed once. Her eyes blinked a couple of times, then a tear came out.

"I'm sorry, Lily, I didn't mean to make you cry because I'm having a bad day. Please don't cry. I'll tell you about a fun thing I did yesterday."

So I told Lily all about the wedding and the dancing and singing and about me yelling at Nasty Mama Hale. I think she smiled a little when I told her that part of the story.

Then I sang all the songs I sang at the wedding and she cried again. I felt bad about it and when I told her I would stop, she squeezed my hand twice, so I kept singing.

I must have fallen asleep because all of a sudden, Mr. Emmett was carrying me into my room and I don't remember how I got there. He looked down at me and smiled, but it wasn't his usual smile and his eyes were red and sad.

"You okay, Jaden?"

"Yeah, I'm just really tired."

"You're talking."

"For now." I sighed and snuggled into him as we reached the top of the stairs.

He kissed the top of my head. "That's all we can ask, little buddy. Thank you."

We entered my room and he set me down on the bottom bunk. "You hungry?"

"No, not right now. Later, maybe?"

"Okay." He grabbed his quilt from the top bunk and set it beside me. "Should I get Miss Rosie or my mom to come up?"

"No. Can…can YOU stay today? Just for a bit?"

He smiled—really smiled—and knelt down on the floor to help me with my shoes. "I'll stay as long as you need me to, buddy. Never be afraid to ask.

"Okay."

Mr. Emmett crawled onto the bottom bunk and banged his head, cursing quietly as he settled against the head of the bed. I felt bad, but I couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, you think THAT'S funny, do you?" he growled, but I knew he wasn't really angry with me. He was teasing, because that's what Mr. Emmett does.

I moved so I was lying on his chest. He pulled the blanket up and rubbed my back. "I'm sorry you had such a shi—crappy day."

"Not your fault," I said, yawning.

"Thanks." And then everything was quiet except for the sound of Mr. Emmett's heart beating under my ear.

_**Emmett**_

Jaden and I napped for an hour and surprisingly he didn't wake up screaming. He woke first and tickled my chin, giggling.

"Hm…either we've got mice or someone's got tickle fingers."

He snickered again. "Wake up, Mr. Emmett, I'm STARVING!"

I smiled. He was still talking and in a much better mood. I worried, though, because I wasn't sure if he was really happy or if he was repressing his emotions again. Dr. Scott said that outbursts like the one he had today were a good indication that some of the repressed memories were surfacing, and that it was important for him to let it out, but in a controlled and safe environment.

"I'm pretty hungry myself. Why don't we go down and see what we can find?"

We went downstairs and found a houseful of people. Our place was quickly becoming party central, which was cool with me. Mom whisked Jaden off and told me to stay close because she wanted to talk about what happened.

Edward handed me a beer and a burger. "I know you're the grill master, bro, but everyone was getting hungry. I hope I haven't sullied your grill with my inferior skills." He grinned cheekily as I gave him a mocking stink-eye.

I leaned on the island in the kitchen and set down my beer before taking a huge bite of the burger. "Mm…not bad. Did you put…basil? Is there basil in my burger?"

"Just a little, why? Is it awful?"

I took another bite and really focused on the flavours. "No, it's pretty good. It's like a pesto burger without all the sloppiness of the pesto."

Edward smiled. Sometimes I forget that he looks up to me and likes it when I compliment him. I don't think I do it enough. Note to self: stop being so hyper-critical of Edward and give him more praise.

"You alright? Mom was saying that everyone had a rough afternoon."

The kitchen was getting noisy and my brain was ready to snap. "Wanna go out back? I could totally use my brother right now."

Again, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Sure, I'll grab some more beers."

I told Mom I'd be back and I'd find her then so that we could talk. She smiled when she saw Edward motioning for me to join him. "We'll look after Jaden. Go enjoy some time with your brother."

"Thanks, Ma." I turned to Rosie. "I'm going out back to talk to Edward if you need me." I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her lips before I left. "I love you."

"Love you too, baby."

Edward and I walked back to the jungle gym where we stuffed ourselves into one of the towers.

"Dude, I think my fucking head is going to explode. The past 36 hours have been crazy, what with the wedding, the craziness with Mama Hale, Jaden's freak out last night, and his freak out during therapy; which I'm glad I missed, and…God, Rosie and I saw the suicide note."

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit sounds like the right word. Jaden's father was severely mentally ill at the end. I want to hate him so much but I can't—he was a pathetic, sick man, and I wish someone had figured it out sooner and sent him off for treatment."

I shuddered when I thought about the contents of the note. I don't know how anyone he dealt with on a regular basis didn't realize he was sick. Based on the erratic and frenetic way it was written, it was beyond me how anyone could miss it. It was beyond me how he could have functioned normally in public if he was as mentally ill as the note implied.

"Can you give me the general gist of what it said? I don't know if I could handle specifics if it's as bad as you're making it sound."

My mind raced as I went over the contents of the letter in my head. "Well, he said that he was sorry for what he was about to do and that he didn't want Jaden or his mom to suffer because he knew deep down that he was the cancer that killed Casey, that he had poisoned his family with his evil and they were better off dead now than left to suffer later on."

Edward drew in a harsh breath. "Wow."

"Yeah, he spent a lot of time rambling about karma, past lives, and how something he'd supposedly done in a previous incarnation had come back to haunt him. After Casey died they were struggling financially, and according to the cops who spoke to us, the forensic accountant had found that their house was in the final stages of foreclosure, and they would likely have been homeless within the week. They assume that Mr. MacDonald saw it as a sign of impending doom."

"So, you're telling me that he killed his wife, tried to kill his son, and blew his brains out to save them from him and his dirty karma" Edward said, after taking a big drink of his beer.

"Yeah. He repeatedly said that he loved them too much to allow them to suffer for his sins."

"Fuck, that's messed up."

"You're telling me. Rosie was in tears through most of our meeting, and frankly, I'm more than a little disturbed. I hope to hell he never spouted off any of that nonsense to Jaden, because that alone is enough to fuck with a kid's head."

Edward was silent for a few moments and I was thankful. I mean, there's really nothing anyone can say about a senseless and crazy murder-suicide like that. You want to be mad at the perpetrator, but you're torn because they were irrational and sick at the time.

We drank in silence for a few minutes before I let out a belch and decided to be a big brother for a few minutes.

"So, how're things with you and Baby Girl? Are you going to go ahead and start with the babymaking?"

"We're meeting with Dr. Vedder and Dr. King the day after tomorrow and I have to admit that I'm nervous."

I playfully punched his shoulder. "You're always nervous, Eddie."

He nudged me back. "This is serious, Em. I'm scared that this will be a _damned if I do, damned if I don't_ sort of situation. If she has to go off her meds—what if she has a bad seizure? What if this is _the one_ I've read about, you know, the one she doesn't back come from? I can't lose her Emmett."

Did he just emosob? Man, Edward is the consummate drama queen if I've ever met one. Time to turn the tables and direct the pep talk back at him. After the one he'd given me last night, it was my turn to reciprocate. "Stop, Edward. Don't shoot yourself in the foot before you even get started. Bella's tough and she'll be extra careful if it comes down to that. Breathe, baby brother. Go in with a positive attitude. You know we'll all be behind you guys, doing whatever we can."

My poor brother was on the verge of tears. "I just want this so bad and I'm scared that I'm going to end up having to sacrifice one for the other."

"Again, you're thinking too far ahead. Just go with the flow, bro. If it's not meant to be that you can have kids naturally, you can always adopt."

He nodded and tried to wipe his eyes without me noticing, but I saw it, and I wasn't going to tease him about it either. Now was not the time or the place.

"I want you to talk to me when you're freaking out, okay? Any time, day or night. I hate to think about you freaking out alone in that head of yours because lord knows you won't talk to Bella about it. Will you talk to your therapist about it? I'm sure he'll have lots of good, wise shit to tell you."

"Yeah, we've talked about the baby thing a lot," he replied quietly. "It's been on my mind for a while. I don't want to put too much pressure on Bella about this and I was afraid…"

"What?"

He ducked his head so he wasn't looking at me.

"I was scared that you'd laugh at me."

I smacked him, hard. "What the hell, Edward? Why would you think that? Am I that shitty of a brother? Your words wound me."

He rubbed his shoulder ruefully. "That hurt, you know."

"You're lucky I didn't junk punch you for that. I would NEVER laugh about baby shit, dude. Wait, that came out all wrong—I would never laugh at you over baby matters, actually baby poop, yeah that I would laugh about. I want another niece or nephew too, so I'm almost as invested in the baby-making process as you are."

"Sorry, Em. It's just been such a…an iffy subject. Bella's been pushing it back, always with the excuse that I'm trying to replace Emma and that we're not ready for it yet. Well, now that she's finally ready—god, I get so frustrated!"

I put my arm around my agitated brother. "As much as I HATE to say this, things happen for a reason, even when the situation sucks balls. Embrace it, bro. Let go and let things happen organically."

Edward sighed loudly. "You're right, Em."

"What was that? What did you say?" I said as my jaw dropped in mock shock.

He growled a little before responding loudly, "You're RIGHT, Em!"

I pushed him out of the tower, onto the rubber suspension bridge, rolling along with him. "Yee haw! I'm RIGHT! Shout it to the world! EMMETT'S RIGHT!"

"Oh, good lord, I've created a monster. You see why I don't come to you for advice? This is a prime example."

Rolling over, I stuck out my fist. "I'm just playing with you. Now gimme some love, baby brother."

Reluctantly, Edward bumped my fist and I pulled him into a hug.

"I love you, broody boy."

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Hulk."

"Hmm…if you two weren't brothers, I might find this little scene here kind of hot," Rosie said from below. "Are you two done consummating your heterosexual incestuous bromance? Everyone is gathering up at the house to talk about graduation tomorrow. We need you guys to help plan rides and whatnot."

I rolled over to the edge of the bridge, hanging over it head first. "C'mere, Rosie, I've always wanted to try the upside down Spiderman kiss."

Edward groaned as he got up, jostling the rubber bridge. "I'm leaving; I don't need to see this."

"We cool?" I asked, looking over at him as he reached the fireman's pole.

He smiled in the dusk. "Yeah, we cool. See you at the house." He slid down the pole and jogged back to the house.

Rosie moved over to where I was dangling precariously. "Where's my kiss, Spidey?"

Let me tell you now that the logistics of the Spiderman suspended kiss are damn near impossible to execute without the magic of movies. Or maybe we were doing it wrong. Either way, I ended up falling off the bridge and taking Rosie with me.

The kisses on the ground were much, MUCH better.

* * *

**Ahh, some brotherly and Spidermanly love. ;)**

**Got any thoughts? Comments? Questions? Just want to say hi? Why not drop me a line! **

**Sad to say that because I'll likely be responding to a lot of your reviews with my Crackberry, there won't be a sneak peek this week, but I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise.**

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!**

**See you next week!**


	20. Chapter 18

**So everyone survived the relatives, er, Christmas? Good! I'm about to inflict some more family drama on you.**

**Tissues are a requirement on this one. Minna had an *allergy* attack when she was beta'ing, and Katmom was thinking terribly un-Katmom-like thoughts about how Mama Hale should meet her demise. Oh, the things they have to endure when working with me. I love you guys.**

**This rates high on the Scmitty Scale of Sob.**

* * *

_**Bella**_

Graduation day passed in a blur. There were gowns to be gotten, parents to be appeased, an over-excited little boy to watch over, photos to be taken, and the task ensuring that all of that happened in a mannerly order fell on Edward and I.

While Esme and Carlisle didn't have a flesh and blood child on that stage, three of their new babies were being bestowed with diplomas and awards. It was cute to see them getting caught up in the excitement of the day.

Rose won an award for achieving the highest grade point average in her program, and unbeknownst to her, another award for the business plan she had been working on with Esme. There was a hefty monetary prize that went with it as an incentive to start the business. It was presented by a group that encourages women to develop more women-based business initiatives.

Alice was given an acknowledgement for the extra design work she had done not only for the university drama program, but also for area schools.

Jasper was honoured with a high achievement award for placing in the top five of his graduating class.

I was so proud of them and I was elated that their hard work was being recognized. I don't think anyone realized just how much time and effort they put into school—I mean, Jasper and Alice used to do schoolwork at the store, and it wasn't uncommon for study groups to meet there. I'm sure the other students didn't mind studying in a porn store; it wasn't exactly a hardship.

We all stood and cheered for them as they received their awards, and I had to laugh at Jaden and Emmett as they jockeyed for the honour of being the loudest.

Not long after the awards were presented and the tedious series of speeches had started, Jaden moved over into my lap and fell asleep. Edward put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed lovingly. The three of us sitting like that made my heart sing and ache at the same time. I could feel my ovaries screaming and my womb pleading.

_Chill_, I silently chided my reproductive organs, _I promise that we're working on it._

They pouted and returned to their rightful positions. "Tomorrow…I'll know better tomorrow."

After what felt like hours of speeches and the incessant calling of names, it was finally over. I carried Jaden outside to meet the others because he was dopey and the large crowd was making him nervous. He quickly cheered up when Rose came running over to us. He leaned toward her like a sunflower stretches toward the sun, his smile almost too big for his face.

"Miss Rosie, you're _super_ smart! You won all that stuff! Wow!"

I handed him off and watched as he hugged her and babbled about how proud of her he was. It was easy to see that she was moved by his words and I noticed a tear in the corner of her eye as she kissed the top of his head.

"Thanks, buddy."

A throat cleared behind us and I don't think anyone was expecting to see Mama Hale standing there.

"I just wanted to congratulate Rosalie and Jasper on their awards. Your successes have made your father and me proud."

Rosie's face paled. "Th…thanks, Mama."

"No need to thank me. Evidently, you have both worked hard and perhaps I…misjudged you." She turned to Mr. Hale, "Donald, will you be joining me on the flight tomorrow morning?"

At first I thought perhaps Mama Hale was being sincere, and that maybe, just maybe she might have one nice bone in her body, but the more I observed the way she regarded Mr. Hale, I knew she was only acting polite to make herself look better. Mr. Hale, on the other hand, seemed to notice straight off that she was putting up a front.

"Yes, I'll meet you at the airport," he said tersely. "I figured you had left."

"No. I came this far to watch them graduate and I wasn't leaving until I did. I'll leave you to your celebrations. Again, congratulations."

With that, Mama Hale turned on her stiletto heel and began walking away. Rosie set Jaden down before following her mother.

"Why, Mama?"

Mama Hale didn't stop walking away, which prompted Rose to pick up her pace and ask again, only this time it was louder. "Why, Mama?"

We all stood transfixed as the elder Hale turned to face her daughter, and although her frozen facial features offered no hint of what she was feeling, it was clear in her eyes and from the tapping of her foot that she was irritated. "Why what, Rosalie?"

"Just…why? Why did you come? Why can't you…?"

"Spit it out, Rosalie."

Rose squared her shoulders, stood straighter, and puffed out her chest as she took another step toward her. "Why can't you love me? Love us? Why can't we ever be good enough?"

"Stop making a scene. If you wish to discuss this, then I suggest we do so someplace private. Call me when you have a moment free from your…_family_," she said, sneering as she uttered the last word.

I was appalled and was about to go slap Mama Hale when Jasper reached out and held me back. "It's not worth it, Bella. Let it go."

Edward moved behind me, pulling me into his chest. "Jasper's right, love. Don't let her get to you. Let's grab Jaden and go sit on a bench—he's looking more than a little upset."

I looked down at Jaden, who was hiding behind Emmett's legs and frowned. "You're right, Edward. Let's go."

We moved over to where he was clinging to Em's dress pants, trembling. "Hey, Jaden? You want to come with us? I'd like to sit down for a bit and I think I might have a juice box in my bag if you'd like to have one."

"Goldfish crackers too?" he whispered.

I smiled at him, hoping to reassure him a little. "Oh, I think I might be able to find some if I dig around a bit."

He stepped away from Emmett and Edward scooped him up, carrying him toward the nearby bench.

"Em, we'll just be…"

"Thanks, Baby Girl," he replied without taking his eyes off Rosalie.

I walked over to where the boys were getting settled on the bench. Edward was speaking quietly to Jaden as I sat down and started digging around in my bag for his snacks. He smiled and thanked me for the food, then sat quietly as he munched, looking nervously over at the standoff between the two Hale women.

"She won't…hurt…Miss Rosie, will she?" he asked softly.

"No, sweetheart, not with her hands," I replied, pulling him up onto my lap.

"But words hurt too, Miss Bella. Sometimes words hurt more than hands."

I kissed the top of his head. "You're right, sweetie. Words _do _hurt a lot, but I think that Miss Rosie will be okay. She might be sad, so she'll need extra love, but she'll be okay."

He looked up at me and smiled. "I can love her."

Edward moved closer, wrapping his arm around us and giving a squeeze. "She might just need your love most of all, buddy."

_**Rosalie**_

Well, any hope I had of having a happy graduation went out the window the second _she_ appeared. God, why? She's made it clear that she is displeased and disappointed in us. How ironic that she's here when we're being honored for our outstanding achievements.

I had wanted her to go away but when she did, I suddenly needed her to come back. I wanted answers and I'd be damned if she was going to walk away from me. Not now. This needed to be finished; I couldn't carry this shit around with me anymore.

After she suggested we all speak some place more private after I was done celebrating with my _family_ I snapped. "No, we're not waiting until later, we're doing this now so it's over and done with. My house."

She looked at the others who were all standing stock still behind me. "What about _them?_"

"They can go to Bella and Edward's or to Jazz and Alice's place. We—you, me, Jasper and Daddy—are going to finish this now. Then I'm going to celebrate with my _family_ because today is our big day and I'm not letting you ruin it any further."

"Emmett!" I barked. "Can I please have the keys and could you please take everyone to someone else's house? We," I motioned between me, my brother and parents, "are having a family meeting."

He moved over to me, handing over the keys to the Jeep with some hesitation. "You alright, baby? You sure you don't want me to…"

I planted a kiss on his lips and sighed. "It's time for me to put on my big girl panties and finish this. I'll call you when it's safe to come home."

He pulled me into a big hug and I spent a moment just hanging onto him, wishing he could be there to get me through this mess, but I knew I had to stand alone and he didn't need to be a part of it.

"Are you sure?"

I inhaled his intoxicating natural musk, using it to bolster my courage. "Positive. Now go. Get Jaden out of here, please."

"I love you, Rosie," he said, nuzzling my hair.

"Love you more."

Everyone shot me nervous, concerned looks. "Sorry, gang, the party is being put on hold for a while. We'll see you soon."

They all hugged Jasper and I before filing away behind an anxious-looking Emmett. I hated that he was feeling like this, but what could I do?

"Okay, let's do this. Follow me."

Aside from Mama grumbling about how high the Jeep was off the ground and having to wait while Jasper moved Jaden's booster seat, it was a very quiet drive back to the house. As soon as we entered, I tossed my graduation gown onto a chair and made my way to the liquor cabinet where I poured four very large tumblers of scotch, neat. I didn't need any ice to water down my liquid courage.

Everyone gladly accepted the beverage and sipped quietly until Mama spoke. "So, let's get this over with—I'm sure the _others_ are all lamenting the loss of you two."

Anger boiled inside me at her sarcasm which was directed at my _true_ family.

"You. Will. Not. Speak. Of. Them. Like. That." Each word I spoke was punctuated with a very angry gesture "EVER! These people have been more of a family to us in the past nine months than you EVER were! You wouldn't know the meaning of the word family if I tattooed it to your overly-made up, botoxed forehead!" My voice was rising in pitch and volume with every word I spoke.

"Control yourself, Rosalie. You are becoming soft. It's beyond me how you will ever manage to succeed in the real world, outside of this freaky Brady Bunch bubble existence, if you're this soft now. Emotional outbursts will get you nowhere. If you have a problem with me and my _child-rearing_ methods, then please, by all means present it in a more adult fashion."

"_Child-rearing_, eh? Is that what it was? I suppose you're right, because there was no mothering involved."

I moved to set my glass down on the mantle as I paced across the area rug. The urge to throw it at her stupid frozen face was becoming too strong and I couldn't trust myself. I liked these glasses and I didn't particularly want to waste one on her.

"I never asked to be a mother, Rosalie."

"What do you mean by that?" I all but screeched.

"You and Jasper were an accident. A mistake. I never wanted children."

"You…"

"I would have gladly aborted you had it not been too late." She spoke the words so calmly and yet so tersely.

My legs gave out and thankfully Jasper was there to catch me. "Rosie? You okay?"

No. No, I wasn't and I had no idea how he managed to be so…unaffected. Our mother just confessed that she didn't want us, that she would have aborted us! No, I was far from okay. I was dizzy with this revelation, but really, should I have expected better from her?

Mama let out a disgusted sigh. "I don't understand why you're so shocked, Rosalie."

"You never loved us at all, did you?" Jasper asked quietly from behind me as we crouched on the floor. His hold on me intensified as we awaited her response.

"No."

Daddy jumped from his seat and slapped her. "How can you be so cold, Lillian?"

She rubbed her cheek and tried to smile, but with her overly Botoxed face, all she managed was an evil sneer. "That, Donald, was the first step in our divorce. You can expect to hear from my lawyer when you return."

Daddy smiled at her. "I look forward to it."

Jasper released his hold on me and stood up. "You NEVER loved us? EVER? AT ALL?"

"What part of NO do you not understand?" she sneered.

"Why didn't you give us to someone who would?" Jasper asked, his fists clenching, jaw trembling.

"Ask your dear old daddy that one, Jasper. I am positive he will have some sweet and comforting answer for you."

Daddy looked uncomfortable. "You both know the answer. I loved you and your PawPaw adored you. I couldn't give you to someone else because you were mine, and whether _she_ liked it or not, I couldn't let you go.

"Maybe it was pure selfishness on my part, perhaps your lives would have been better if we had put you up for adoption."

He started to cry. "I've been such a horrible father."

I stood up and hugged him tightly as Jasper addressed him. "I…I am the man I am today because of both of you. I've realized in the face of my own impending fatherhood that you've both given me an incredible gift—you have given me the gift of knowing exactly what kind of parent I _don't_ want to be."

He turned to look at Mama. "You taught me how a parent's neglect and cold demeanor can break a child's spirit and I would NEVER wish that on another child."

Mama huffed indignantly, turning her back on us as she mumbled something about him being too soft, just like his father. The urge to hurl myself at her and beat her senseless was growing stronger with each moment. Maybe Emmett should have come; he could have held me back.

Jasper turned to Daddy. "You…although I've forgiven you, you still taught me something. You showed me that indifference, apathy and cowardice can also poison a child the same way her," he pointed an accusatory finger at Mama, "cruel, spiteful, and authoritarian behaviour did. I NEVER want my daughter to feel as alone as we did. The only person we had in our corner was PawPaw and when he died we were left alone. There was no one for us to run to, there was no safe haven when our house felt more like a prison to us than a home."

He began pacing and I knew he was working through what he was going to say next. I stared at him in awe and with a lot of pride; Jasper had endured so much for so long so quietly that I had doubted he would ever find the courage to stand up to her.

"I'm sorry, son," Daddy whispered as Jazzy passed by. "I'm so very sorry."

Jasper bent down in front of Dad, resting his elbows on his thighs. "I forgave you, Dad, because I know you feel regret and I know why you did it. Mind you, it doesn't excuse your behaviour, but I can forgive you." He stood up, pointing angrily at Mama as he raised his voice. "But not you. You don't deserve my forgiveness or rather, OUR forgiveness."

Mama turned around, her eyes burning with anger. I was terrified and held onto Daddy even harder. I had never seen Mama look so angry—she didn't even look human anymore.

"I DON'T _WANT_ YOUR FORGIVENESS, YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT. I DON'T _NEED_ YOUR FORGIVENESS! In fact, you should be seeking MY forgiveness for ruining my live."

Jasper's jaw dropped in shock. "What"

"I'm not going to get into it. I've said my piece. Ask your precious _Esme_, she knows." She practically sneered out the name of the most amazing woman I've ever met, before she collected herself and began to turn away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to…"

He grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away. "NO! You tell us, and you tell us now! If this is the end, if we're cutting all ties after this, then I want answers. Were we such horrible children? We did well in school, we rarely got into trouble, we did pretty much everything you asked of us. Where did we go wrong, Mama?"

His voice had softened and he stepped back toward us.

"You really want to know? I don't mean to quote Jack Nicholson here, but for no lack of a better way of saying it, I don't think you can handle the truth."

He clenched his jaw, speaking through his teeth. "Tell us so this can be over—for good!"

Mama stood taller and puffed out her chest. "Okay, then Jasper, Rosalie—I didn't want you. I know you know that already, but it's true. I NEVER wanted children. I wanted a supportive husband and a career. There was no room whatsoever in my plan for, for—you. But oh no, I get knocked up with not one, but two! As I said before, it was too late to abort, so I had to endure the pregnancy only to have you two ungrateful brats destroy my reproductive organs, so I had to have a hysterectomy after you almost killed me. That set me back even further and I lost the already tenuous hold I had on my job when my partner took credit for all of MY hard work. I lost it all; he got MY promotion and I got leaky breasts and vomit on my Chanel suits.

"He made my life hell because I refused to sleep with him." She stopped and looked at Daddy. "Oh yes, Donald, I had every chance to fuck my way to the top, don't look so surprised. I would be lying if I said I hadn't entertained the thought once or twice because maybe, just maybe I could get to a place where I wouldn't have to constantly justify and prove myself. But then I remembered I was above that and I had promised myself when I was growing up that I would NEVER stoop to using my good looks to move ahead. I was and still am better than that."

She turned to me. "I also didn't want you, Rosalie, to fall into that trap. It's not worth selling out to get to the top because you'll always wonder if you really are good enough, or if it's just your breasts or ability to fake an orgasm when there was a sweaty pig pounding away at you on top of your desk that got you there."

I released Daddy and got up to stand beside my twin, instinctively linking hands. "Do you…do you hate us?"

Her face softened as much as a face pumped full of botulism can. "No, Rosalie, I don't hate either one of you. I hate how you ruined my life. I hate that we were put into this position. I hate that I can't be who you wanted but I'm not apologizing. I've made it very clear over the years that popping out a baby doesn't make you a mother. I don't have a motherly bone in my body.

"If I'm sorry about anything it's that you both were essentially victims in this fuckery. You didn't ask to be born and I didn't ask for it either. I am resentful and angry at the consequences of your existence. I know that sounds cold and cruel, but you asked for the truth."

"What are you saying?" I asked, even though I both knew and dreaded her response.

Her eyes bored into both of ours, her words crisp, clear, succinct and brutally honest. "Looking at you both reminds me of my failures in life. You represent all the things gone wrong. Although I do have to say that I was very proud of you both today. For a brief moment it felt as if all of my mistakes melted away and I was actually feeling something other than anger or resentment."

My breath hitched at her confession. My legs were shaking. Jasper squeezed my hand tightly, reminding me that I wasn't alone, and I was suddenly able to see things clearly.

"Well, congratulations, _Mama_, on having a rare moment of humanity, of feeling something on the lighter end of the emotional spectrum. So glad we could make all of your sacrifice worthwhile for a nanosecond." The sarcasm dripped venomously from my words and Jasper gave me another reassuring squeeze, urging me forward. I needed to purge her poison once and for all, before it could hurt me and my loved ones any more.

"You make it sound as if you made all the sacrifices and that you suffered the most, but you didn't. We did. Jasper and I grew up feeling inferior, confused, unloved by our parents and constantly wondering what the hell we did wrong. I worked my ass off to make you happy and I thought that maybe, just maybe, you would find some way to love me if I did everything right. Ha!" I laughed dryly, "I was wrong about that."

I moved closer to Mama, but not within striking distance—I didn't want to tempt myself, nor her. I could see her fists clenching at her side, just itching to hit something.

"I had to learn about why I found blood in my underpants when I was thirteen from a doctor! I thought I was dying, but no, it was my period. Most girls had their mothers to explain this shit to them, but no, I had old Dr. Gerandy! He showed me how to use a tampon! Do you know how humiliating that was?

"No, you wouldn't, would you."

Her face tightened again, only marginally, because her face was so frozen in its artificial perfection.

I felt the anger building up inside me and I knew it was only a matter of time until I exploded, but it felt so fucking good to get some of this off my chest.

"Did you know that I was the only girl in the drama club who never had a parent show up once for a show? When I played Helen Keller in _The Miracle Worker_ the fucking teacher had to go out and buy me flowers because she KNEW that my parents wouldn't be there to do it."

I was on a roll, all of the things that had pissed me off over the years came rolling off my tongue so easily that eventually I got lost in the moment and didn't realize what I was saying.

"Do you know that I lost my virginity when I was fourteen? I was so starved for attention, for intimacy, for affection, for love that I let some college guy fuck me in the back seat of his car while his friends watched? I thought that if I let him do it that he'd love me. Well, guess what? He didn't! In fact, he let three of his friends have a go at me too."

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Memories assaulted me as violently as those guys had taken me in the back of the car. Why had that memory chosen now to come back? I had buried it so far away that it hadn't crossed my mind in years. Oh my god, what have I done? No one knew about my secret shame. No one was ever supposed to know. What was I going to do? I couldn't take it back. It was out there, I had said it aloud and now those words hung awkwardly over the room like a specter.

There was a collective gasp, but I barely heard it over the roaring in my ears and the sound of my heart beating wildly against my chest.

So lost in the memory, in the fear, I barely registered when Jasper grasped my hand. "Rosie? Is this true?"

I nodded, looking at the ground. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't speak to him. Not now.

I heard _her_ clear her throat, and I snapped back to the task at hand. I needed to finish with her before I dealt with the ugly pink elephant in the room.

"I let so many guys who promised they loved me fuck me that my underpants had a revolving door. No one ever gave me what I needed. I never felt that huge void inside me begin to fill even a little bit until I met Emmett, and he fills my heart so much that it's overflowing.

"I'm not proud of my past, but I am proud of where I am _now_ and where I'm going, and although the thought of saying this used to upset me, it doesn't anymore—I don't need you. You are poisonous and toxic and there is no room in my future for you. You have made it crystal clear that you want nothing to do with us, so I'm making it easy for both of us." I stepped closer and mimed that I was washing my hands before throwing them up in the air. "I HAVE NO MOTHER. SHE DIED AT CHILDBIRTH. I NEVER KNEW HER. My hands are clean. Shall I call you a cab, Lillian?"

Her face blanched before turning dark red a moment later. "Yes, please, that would be very _kind_ of you, charitable even. Donald, you will hear from me when you return. Jasper, I am assuming you feel the same way as your sister?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, stepping up to stand beside me.

"Well, then, I guess this is goodbye."

I picked up the nearest phone and called a cab to come pick her up and take her out of my home and out of our lives.

As soon as the cab pulled away, I crumpled into a heap on the floor and began to cry. Every tear was another drop of her poison leaving my body. Each sob was a gasp of clean air, replacing the toxic gas I'd been inhaling for the past two decades.

Jasper picked me up and carried me up the stairs to my room where he deposited me gently on the bed. I held onto him, so he crawled in and held me, crying.

I vaguely remember a phone ringing and Jasper saying Emmett's name, prompting a new wave of tears and keening from me. It felt like only seconds later that Emmett replaced Jasper and was whispering words of love and comfort to me as I finally began to calm down.

"Th…thank you, Em…I need you. P…please don't ever leave me. Please never let me get like her. Please don't stop loving me. Promise you'll always love me."

I felt so raw, so vulnerable and emotional that I knew his answer could destroy me and as hard as it was for me to be so wide open, he made me feel safe. I had so much that I needed to confess, so much he needed to know before he tied himself to me forever.

"Rosie, baby, I can't stop loving you. I will ALWAYS love you. Only you. You're stuck with me no matter what. There is NOTHING you could tell me that would make me feel otherwise." He was crying as he spoke. "You're scaring me, baby."

Emmett's strong arms pulled me even closer to him as I let his love wash away the pain. His declarations of undying love momentarily pushed aside the memories of this afternoon and of my past, and the event I had locked away so far in the back of my psyche that I had forgotten it had happened.

After taking a few cleansing breaths, I shifted myself into a seated position. Emmett followed as well, looking at me with so much emotion in his eyes that it nearly broke me again. "Babe?"

I smiled at him. "I'm okay—for now."

His big hands cupped my cheeks as he examined my face for the truth. "You sure?"

"I need my family, Emmett. Can you please call everyone to come home?"

He nodded before placing a sweet kiss on my lips. "If that's what you want. I love you, Rosie."

"I know, Emmett. Thank you."

"For what?" he kissed my forehead, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Saving me."

* * *

**Adios Mama Hale, and can we get a round of applause for Jasper and especially poor Rosalie for finally standing up to her and cutting her off?**

**I couldn't be more proud of the twins if they were real. )**

**So, _Encore _was nominated for the Angst Goddess award over at The Twinklings Walk of Fame. When you see the list of nominees you'll understand why I know I have no hope in hell of winning, but that's okay. I seriously am moved that someone thought enough of my story to nominate it. **

**I'm not going to beg for votes when voting opens, but I'm going to encourage you to go vote for which ever of the AMAZING stories in that list most moved you.  
http : / / twinklingswfa . blogspot . com / p / story-nominees . html **

**Reviews might be slow coming for the next day or so...my Crackberry went for an unplanned swim today and I'm not sure if it survived. I'll review as soon as I possibly can, though. I hate keeping you waiting.**

**If this A/N couldn't get any longer, I wanted to pimp out a couple of fics:**

**_Your Voice Was All I Heard_ by twimamma  
_The Plan_ by QuantumFizzx**

**Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for being here through 2010 and I hope you'll continue to follow this (and my other) story into 2011. **


	21. Chapter 19

**I don't have much to say...just keeping my fingers crossed that this posts properly.**

**I can't thank Katmom and Minna enough. Minna, I miss you. I hope Melbourne is treating you well.**

**This chapter isn't as weepy as the last.**

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_**Edward**_

Having a child in our home felt right. Jaden was a little nervous when we took him into our home for the first time; he stood behind Bella's legs until he spotted Fred, who had run over to greet us with his pathetic meows, leaving a trail of orange fur tumbleweeds in his wake. Sheesh, when was the last time one of us had combed him?

"Kitty!"

Fred stopped in his tracks, his back arched and a sneer on his lips. I don't know if he'd ever been around children.

Jaden sat down a few feet from the nervous-looking cat and smiled. "Hi, Mr. Kitty. Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Bella knelt down beside him. "That's my friend Fred. I think he might be a little bit scared of you—he's never been around a kid before. If you're quiet and don't chase him, he'll probably come to you. Do you want to go into the living room?"

"No, I'd like to stay here and wait for Fred if that's okay. I know all about kitties, Miss Bella—there was a stray one that used to cuddle with me and Mommy. She taught me how to be still and quiet until the kitty understands that you're a friend and not a foal."

"Foe, sweetie, I think you meant _foe_," she correctly gently.

"Whatever. He's going to be my friend. I just know it."

"Your mommy was right," I said as I ruffled his hair. "Fred just needs to see that you're cool and then he'll be your best friend."

He grinned up at me. "You think I'm cool, Mr. Edward?"

"I sure do. You're the only person I know who digs classical music." I winked at him before stepping past him, around Fred, and toward the living room. "I'll play for you after you tame Fred."

"Really? Okay!" He turned his focus on Fred. "You and me need to be friends soon so I can go watch Mr. Edward play."

Bella and I stood back and watched as Jaden somehow managed to get Fred to come near him. In minutes, the orange cat was rubbing up against him and purring like a motorboat.

"See, Fred, I'm a good kid. I won't hurt you. Now, if you could please move your butt out of my face, I'd like to go with Mr. Edward."

In the past few months I had learned a lot about Fred, and one of the biggest lessons I had learned was that he was stubborn as hell. When he was comfortable, he would refuse to move. When he was determined, he wasn't easily deterred, unless of course you were shaking a bag of treats in his direction. In this instance, it was evident that the cat had no intention of giving up his claim on the little boy, so I dove in and pulled Jaden up to his feet. Fred rubbed against his little legs in awkward figure eights as I led him to the music room.

We sat at the piano and I explained some fundamentals before I began playing. Much to Jaden's delight, I played some familiar pieces, then asked if he had any requests.

There was no hesitation on his part whatsoever. "Can you please play the Piano Man song?"

"The Billy Joel song?" Again, this child's knowledge of music beyond the typical seven year-old's repertoire amazed me.

"Um, I think so. It's the one that goes, _sing us a song, you're the piano man_. That one. Do you know it?"

I began to play the song and he squealed. "Yes! That's the one! Can you sing it? I don't know all the words."

"I'll try," I said, "I'm a little rusty; it's been a while." I began singing the words as best I could and smiling when he joined in. We sang the chorus loudly, like two old drunk friends sitting at a bar.

If someone had told me this time last year that I would be singing Billy Joel songs with a seven year old, I'd have declared them insane and called the men with straightjackets and the funny wagon myself. But this felt so right. Instead of being sad that it wasn't my own daughter singing with me, I was filled with joy at sharing this moment with Jaden. I felt another part of me healing and letting go of the persistent pang of loneliness I'd been dealing with for years.

We continued to sing songs together until Mom poked her head into the room. "There's a slight change in plans and dinner is being pushed back a bit. I was wondering if maybe you boys would like to have a snack?"

Jaden hopped off the bench, running toward her. "I'm staaaaaaaaaaaarving," he exaggerated.

She ushered him out, leaving me alone with my thoughts, smiling at the memory of what had just happened.

"Penny for your thoughts," Bella said quietly from the door.

I held my arms out to her and noted how amazing she looked. Her mahogany hair was shining in the fading daylight streaming in from the window. She was dressed in a pale blue blouse and flared pants. The healthy pink in her cheeks made me smile and it renewed my hopes that our meeting with the doctors tomorrow would go well. After Em's pep talk, I had been trying to think more positively and I found that at first it felt artificial, but now—now it felt real, it felt right.

Bella sat in my lap, allowing me to hold her as I nuzzled her neck to get a good lungful of her intoxicating essence. I sighed happily. "Have I told you today just how beautiful you are?"

Being the cheeky monkey that she is, Bella tapped her chin with her finger and overdramatically pondered my question. "Hm, I don't believe you have."

"You look delightfully beautiful and devastatingly ravishing."

She giggled.

"You are delicious and I can't wait to devour you." I nipped playfully at her earlobe.

"Mm, as much as I would love for you to bend me over the piano and fuck me senseless, our family is in crisis and gathered in our living room."

My playful mood ended. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I got so caught up with having fun with Jaden that I almost forgot. Has anyone heard from them?"

Bella shook her head. Not yet. I'm sure it'll be a while before we get a call…"

Her thought was cut off by the sound of Emmett's voice booming. "WHAT? IS THAT HER CRYING? I'm on my way!"

We got up and ran out in time to see Emmett running out the kitchen door.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular.

Dad's phone rang before anyone could answer. "Yes, Jasper? She's hysterical? Just try to get her to slow her breathing. Emmett will know what to do when he gets there. If she gets worse, call and let me know."

Everyone was wide-eyed and worried, except for Jaden who was feeding goldfish crackers to the cat.

"Should I come pick up Donald?" Dad continued. "Okay, but call if you—wait, son, Alice wants to talk to you."

Dad handed his phone over to Alice, then turned to face us. "Rosalie is very upset, as we assumed she would be. Emmett is going over to try to calm her down and Jasper will be coming here with his father as soon as Rosalie has calmed down."

Bella stepped forward. "Where's Mama Hale? Is _she_ gone?"

He nodded.

"Good, poisonous bitch," Bella mumbled.

"Ooh, Miss Bella said a bad word!" Jaden piped up from the floor. Of all the things he had a chance to hear, Bella's curse was it. We all started to chuckle, then erupted into loud, raucous, cleansing laughter. Jaden just shook his head, clearly exasperated by all the grown ups, and went back to feeding Fred.

Everyone grabbed snacks and sat around talking quietly. Eventually, Jaden got bored and asked me to put in a movie. I put on Shrek and he curled up in Mom's lap with Fred, where they both fell asleep almost immediately.

I found Bella out on her swing not long after I put in the movie. "What's up?"

"Just thinking. Today's been a real clusterfuck. I can't help but worry about Rosie. She doesn't get hysterical. EVER. So something huge must have happened."

"Emmett's there now, he'll look after her," I replied softly as I shifted my swing closer to hers. "He's got the magic touch, love, he'll do what he can for her."

Turning her head toward me, I was shocked to see how upset she was. I moved a hand over to pull her swing closer to mine, turning her and locking us together with my legs. "Bella, love, what is it?"

Taking one of my hands in hers, she held it to her wet cheek. "You don't really know much about Rosie and Jasper's childhoods do you?"

I shook my head because she was right, I knew nothing. Bella went on to tell me how their mother had treated them as possessions with little to no love or compassion. My heart broke as she continued her story and I silently thanked the gods that I had been blessed with the amazing family that I had been given.

I knew they'd had a rough upbringing—Jasper had spoken briefly about it, but no one had ever gone into greater detail about it. I had been privy to some of the wedding day drama but didn't realize how deeply it ran.

"Rosie has endured so much and rarely shed a tear over it, and then this week she's been a mess. I just hope that bitch didn't finally break my Rosie. A person can build up walls and be strong only for so long; I'm scared that if she snaps, she won't come back."

Getting off the swing, I helped her to her feet, holding her to me tightly. "There is a very large family in that house behind you who are more than capable of bring her back or helping her out of her shell. Maybe breaking down some walls wouldn't be such a bad thing. Sometimes it gets lonely in there."

Bella sighed and gave me a squeeze. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"Edward?" Her voice was quiet and nervous.

"Yes, love?"

"I'm scared about tomorrow."

"We'll be okay, I promise. If it's not in the cards for us to have a child naturally, then we'll look at adoption. For now, though, we just need to be strong and go into this with a positive outlook."

She pulled away, stepping back a couple of steps. "Who are you and what have you done with my Edward? Not that I'm complaining, because I like this positive-thinking version."

"Emmett."

She smiled before returning to my embrace. "Of course it was." I heard a soft sigh and felt her smiling against my chest. "What would we do without him?"

"We'd be a sorry lot of sad people," I replied, smiling.

We stood in each other's arms, just enjoying the rare moment of peace when Dad stepped into the doorway. "Son, Emmett called; Rosalie wants us to come to their house. Would you mind bringing Alice and Jaden? We can take Millie and Ian."

Bella perked up, grinning. "She must be okay! Let's go!"

I watched as she dashed off ahead of me to gather the rest of the food she had planned to take to the party. I was left with the task of waking Jaden and separating him from his ginger-furred lap blanket.

"But…" he whined groggily, "he's my new best friend. I'll miss him! He'll miss me! Look how sad he is, Mr. Edward."

"Fred will be fine and you can come play with him anytime you want. Miss Bella would be very sad if he left."

That got him. "I don't want Miss Bella to be sad. Okay, he can stay; but, Fred, don't miss me too much because I'll be back." He gave a kiss to the top of Fred's head. "Be good, Fred."

The ride to Rose and Em's was subdued; even Alice was quiet. When we pulled past the gate, Jaden spoke softly. "Is nasty Mama Hale here? I don't want to see her, she scares me."

Bella reached back for his hand. "No, sweetie, Mama Hale is gone."

"Forever?"

"I don't know. Now, Miss Rosie was very upset a while ago and she might still be feeling poorly, so we won't ask her too many questions, will we?"

"No."

Bella laughed. "Alice, I was talking to you."

"No, Bella, I won't pepper her with questions. I just want to see my husband and make sure he's okay. I know Rosie's in good hands with Emmett."

Alice was unbuckled and out of the Volvo before I even managed to put it in park. For a pregnant woman she ran fast. Jasper met her at the door, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Um, I need some help, please," Jaden said. "I can't wait to get rid of my cast—it makes everything so hard."

Bella got out first to help him, then the three of us walked toward the house. Emmett and Rose stepped out onto the porch, both looking utterly exhausted. Jaden released Bella's hand and ran to them the second he saw them. I watched as the little boy worked his magic on them and the new little family reconnected.

"They really love him," Bella observed aloud.

"Yeah, I think we're all pretty much screwed now. Let's go inside and find out what's going on."

The evening was somewhat subdued as a result of the nastiness of the afternoon. Jasper and Rosalie asked that no one ask questions, that we'd all find out what we needed to know in the coming days.

"Just know this—Mama Hale is gone and will not be coming back," Rose declared, holding up a tumbler of scotch. "Ding dong the witch is dead."

Everyone drank to her proclamation and left it at that. Even Jaden understood not to question it right away, although he asked me later if Mama Hale was really dead.

"No, buddy, it's a song from _The Wizard of Oz_. Mama Hale is still very much alive.

"That's too bad," I overheard him mumble.

Bella and I excused ourselves after our late dinner. She was exhausted and I wanted some alone time with her to talk about our appointment with the doctors in the morning.

I ran a bath when we got home, undressing Bella slowly and attentively before removing my own clothing. I entered the tub first so she could lean back against my chest. There would be nothing sexual about this bath; I hoped. My intentions were purely sensual and relaxing.

My hands ran up and down her arms as she sunk even further into me, releasing a deep sigh as she settled. Her head fell back, resting just below my shoulder. I took this opportunity to place a kiss behind her ear.

"I love you, Bella."

"Ditto, Edward."

I lathered up the loofah mitt and languidly washed her skin, hopefully removing the tainted grime of the day.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

She turned a little so she could see me. "Aren't you the least bit curious about what happened today?"

My mouth moved along her jaw, peppering the soft line with small kisses until I reached the corner of her mouth. "Nope."

"Ungh," she groaned as my hands moved up to gently massage her breasts. I bit back a curse as she moved back against my growing erection. I willed it to go down—this totally wasn't the point of having a bath. _It's not sexual, Edward. Hands off the boobs._

Reluctantly, my hands retreated and wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Why not?" she asked slowly, coming down from my unintentional groping.

"I care what happened, Bella, I do, but they made it very clear that a debriefing will take place when they are ready. I don't want to think about it or make ridiculous or unfounded assumptions when I could be thinking you, about us. Call me self-centered, but I'd say that I'm more selfish—I want to keep you to myself," I blew across her wet, heated skin, "I'd rather think about you. Is that okay?"

"Yes," she sighed.

My hands moved to her sides, then down to her thighs. My right hand hooked under her knee, lifting it gently as I moved my mouth to her ear. "I'd rather think about your incredible legs and how although you're only five and a half feet tall, your slender legs look like they go on for days."

I set her leg up on the edge of the tub so I could trace the scars. "I'd like to trace these scars and think back about how each one happened. This one here? On the underside of your knee? It happened when you got stuck in the tree. This one, the dark thick one at the top of your knee, this happened when you were learning how to ride a bike and you fell, splitting your knee open when you landed on the sharp edge of your bike pedal. That was how many stitches? Eight?"

She nodded as she raised a hand to cover mine as I mapped out a lot of our history through the scars on her body. When we reached a newer one, she would tell me the story behind it.

The water started to cool off after awhile so I grabbed a towel before standing so I could cover her the second she stood. Can't have my girl getting cold.

We moved to the bed where we crawled in under the duvet without putting on any clothes. She put on some quiet music as I continued my exploration of her body, praising each part as I passed by. Her feet, although flat and knobby were still incredibly cute. Her calf muscles flexed as I kissed my way up them and her breathing started coming out in short pants and hisses as I bypassed her molten mound.

"Not yet, love. I need a moment with the rest of your body because I know once I get a taste, I won't want to stop."

"That's…that's okay…" she squeaked as my tongue dipped into her navel. I noticed a small white scar inside and touched it. "What's this from? I don't remember seeing it before."

She tried to speak as my finger gently ran the perimeter of her navel. Finally, she slapped my hand away. "It's…it's from the accident. They had to do a laparoscopy to check my internal bleeding. If you look over here," she pointed to a faint line on the right side of her torso, "and here," she moved to point out a very inconspicuous white line in the tiny crease just above her pubic area, "you can see the other entry points. They ended up removing my spleen laparoscopically."

"You don't have a spleen? I'm incredibly unobservant," I breathed as I flicked my tongue out to run across the faint raised lines.

"'It's okay, it's not like it's something you see every day or that comes up in conversation on a regular basis."

I chuckled as I moved up the centre of her torso, where I let my nose skim her flesh ever so lightly, raising an incredible number of goose bumps. "I love your skin, so flawless, so soft, so," I inhaled deeply as I reached the underside of her pert right breast, "aromatic."

Bella squirmed beneath me as I continued by tracing her breast with my tongue, nose and finger. I watched as fascinated as ever as the ridged flesh of her dark areola puckered tighter than I thought possible.

Even as awkward teens, I loved playing with her nipples, fascinated by the bumpy topography, ever-changing and never the same. Then when she was swollen with our child, the once light pink peaks and surrounding landscape darkened and enlarged.

Thinking about how jealous I was at one point as I watched our child suckle on her, I had to chuckle. The vibrations further excited her as she moaned. "What's so funny?" she finally asked as she fisted a hand in my hair.

"I was thinking about how I used to be jealous of Emma and how she could suckle you whenever she wanted. I know it sounds strange, but I'm a little territorial when it comes to these," I latched onto her right nipple and sucked hard, then nipped at it. As soon as her body arched into mine, her wetness rubbing against my erection, I knew I was done for; I didn't have long before I would have to be inside her.

I blew a hot breath over her wet nipple before switching sides. Words fell from her mouth but they made no sense. Her hands roamed my body until she reached my cock. She stroked me a few, glorious times before releasing me and pulling my face up to hers, kissing me fiercely.

"I need you now, Edward. Foreplay is over."

My intentions of worshipping her fully and completely flew out the window as she stared at me with eyes darkened by lust and sparkling with something primal.

The head of my cock agreed with her wholeheartedly, nudging its way into the wet heat of Cooterville and it wasn't long before I was fully sheathed in heaven. Slow, methodical thrusts preceded the faster, rougher passes. I lifted her legs up so they were over my shoulders as I thrust even deeper. Her eyes grew huge as I rubbed against her g-spot and my thumb circled her clit.

The noises we were both making were almost comical in their sheer Neanderthal nature—grunting, keening, wailing and nonsensical syllables flying carelessly into the thick atmosphere we created. The room smelled of sex, of desire, of love.

"Edward!" Bella cried out as she reached the highest peak of ecstasy her muscles clenching around me as her whole body froze, her mouth agape, eyes closed.

"Look at me please, love," I begged as my balls tightened and I felt myself about to crest.

Her incredible brown eyes opened, inviting me into her soul as I poured myself into her body.

My bones became gelatin as my cock pulsed inside of her, spilling my seed, uniting us in the most primitive of ways possible.

Small warm hands ran up my sweaty back and into my hair as she brought me back to the moment. "I love you, Edward."

Was she crying?

No, it was me.

"Don't cry, baby," she cooed quietly. "We'll be okay."

Too tired and too spent to respond, I remained on top of her, my ear over her heart which I knew was mine, it would beat only for me. It was strong, she was mighty, and together we would tackle the meeting with the doctors and whatever news, good or bad that they had to impart.

"I love you, Bella. Always."

* * *

**Ah, a lemon. I know some of you have been waiting for one...especially a Bella and Edward one.**

**Well, it seems _Encore_ has been nommed for TWO Twinklings Walk of Fame awards, _Angst Goddess_ and _Queen of Hearts_. Thank you to whoever nominated it. I really appreciate it. They haven't announced when voting will begin, but I'll let you know as soon as I know.**

**My fic recs this week are:**

_**Grand Jeté **_**by stella luna sky  
_Resurrection_ by TwilightMomofTwo  
_Puddle Jumping_ by 107yearoldvirgin  
_Click & Strum_ by Bratty-Vamp **

**Finally, thank you all for getting _Around the Bend_ over the 600 review mark. As usual, reviews get you a sneak peek (unless you ask not to get one).**


	22. Chapter 20

**Hi Ladies and Germs, **

**I've got good news for you and bad news for you. The good news is, here's chapter 20 of Around the Bend. The bad news is, I'm not Leelan, because her laptop is currently feeling a little under the weather. Fortunately, she was all ready to post the chapter, but I'm fairly certain accomplishing that would have been impossible from her phone, so she recruited me (Minna) to do so for her. **

**Uncle Ben tells me that with great power comes great responsbility, so I'm actually going to refrain from recommending Sonic the Hedgehog slashfic or something equally horrific, and that shows you how much I love Leelan, that I wouldn't subject her readers to such horror. So here's chapter 20 for you. It's a doozy.**

**Leelan wants me to tell you that she's still working on reading and replying to all your lovely reviews, but as you can imagine, its a much slower process on her blackberry so give her some slack. She also apologises for the lack of sneak peaks, same reason. Here's hoping that her laptop is back up and running in time for next week's installment.**

**Muah!  
****Minna**

**Greetings and salutations!**

**I know you're all probably still reeling from Rose's recent confession and worrying about her, and I promise, it will be dealt with in the next chapter. This chapter belongs to Bella and Edward. They have a lot on their plate with the doctors and rather than make you wait, they insisted they have a chapter of their own. **

**You may need tissues for this one. And I suppose I should warn you now that you should keep some on hand for the next update too, because it's wicked rough.**

**Thanks as always to Katmom and Minna (welcome home, sweetpea!) who clean up my messes and make them look purty.

* * *

**

_**Bella**_

"Well, Bella, Edward, Dr. King and I have gone over your files, done some research and consulted with other specialists…"

My stomach twisted itself further into knots as my leg threatened to bounce right out of its socket. Edward's warm hand held mine and it managed to calm me a little, but then I had to wonder how he was remaining so calm.

Something had happened recently and Edward, for lack of a better description, had mellowed out. The difference was especially marked after last night. We made love twice—the first was the most intense sexual experience I have ever had, the second was lazier, more…I don't know, leisurely?

So here he was, a picture of calm and so not how I imagined he'd be. He mentioned that he'd had a chat with Emmett and I wondered what had been said.

"Bella? Love?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and blinked. "Sorry, I'm a little scattered today."

Dr. King looked at me, concerned. "It wasn't a black hole was it?"

"No, no," I chuckled to myself thinking about how it wasn't a black hole, but it certainly was stellar. "We've had a pretty intense week and I'm just nervous about, well, this."

Dr. Vedder smiled. "Hopefully what we're about to tell you will alleviate those fears. Since seizure activity has been on the decline and your reproductive health is good, we're giving you the green light."

Edward's hand tightened around mine. "Really?"

"Yes," Dr. Vedder replied, smiling.

My eyes widened almost painfully. "Really? For serious?"

Dr. King laughed. "Yes, Bella. Now, there are some things we need…"

Edward jumped up from his chair, pulling me with him into a tight embrace. "Love, did you hear? Did you? Oh god," he began to weep into my hair, "we get to try again, Bella."

We cried on each other until a throat cleared. Oh yeah—the doctors. We sat back down.

"This doesn't come without risks," Dr. King continued, "but I think you're in a good place to try, Bella. We're going to play with your meds a little, switch you to Lamictal and keep you on the Keppra. Most women found the switch to the Lamictal was most beneficial. We'd like to wean you off the Depakote and slowly get you stabilized on the new drug before you get pregnant."

I breathed loudly as the weight lifted from my shoulders.

"We will be watching you closely and documenting things as we go. But this is going to be a team effort."

"The baby won't be affected by the drugs?" Edward asked.

"While there is always a chance of birth defects associated with taking drugs while pregnant, there have been better results when the mother stops taking Depakote. In testing they've found the Lamictal was less harmful to the fetus. Bella, I found an informative message board online. You may wish to read the posts from other mothers and mothers-to-be to get an idea of what this pregnancy could entail before you get too far into this. You have a lot to think about. I'll give you the URL before you go."

"So…wow…we can get started right away?" I asked nervously, afraid they would make us wait an exorbitant amount of time.

"Yes. I've written out new prescriptions for you with important instructions. I'd also like you to journal your transition so we can look for potential issues, and pinpoint what works and what doesn't."

I nodded. "I can do that."

Dr. Vedder smiled. "There are some women who didn't experience a single seizure during their pregnancy or the delivery."

"The others?" I asked.

Dr. King answered my question. "I'm not going to lie, but there is always a chance the seizures will increase and a grand mal during labor could put you and the baby in danger."

Well now, that really knocked the wind out of my sails. Edward must have sensed it. "We're in this together, love. All the way. That is, if you want to."

I turned, smiling at him. "Yes, please. Let's make a baby!"

We kissed, not caring about the doctors until Dr. Vedder chuckled and offered to leave us alone if we wanted to get started.

Oops.

The rest of the appointment was a blur of instructions, pamphlets, bookings, and whatnot. I was busy speaking silently with my ovaries and uterus, begging them to work with me to make this a reality.

In the car after we left the pharmacy, Edward asked if I wanted to go to Em's, but I declined. "We've spent so much time with everyone lately that I'd like to keep you to myself, not to mention I'm ready for a nap. I think the adrenaline rush has worn off. We'll see them tomorrow for dinner anyway."

Then I thought about it. "I'm being selfish. Your parents are here. Why don't you spend the afternoon with them? I'll nap and do some work on my thesis."

He turned to look at me briefly before turning his attention back to the road. "You wouldn't mind?"

My hand reached for his. "Not in the least. If they're not busy for dinner, maybe we could take them out?"

A smile lit up his face. "I'll run it by them. It sounds nice. We can…well, tell them our news."

"About the baby-making? Yes, I guess we could, although…"

"Although what?"

"It just adds pressure for us to, er, perform."

He laughed mirthfully. "I doubt they will; I'm sure Dad is more interested in the medical logistics than our methodology."

"True," I agreed. Carlisle would likely be VERY interested in the new drugs and following my body's reaction to them. He is and would always be the consummate medical professional, always interested in the mechanics of something outside his usual field of practice. He had always been interested in neurology, but my accident piqued his interest in it even further. And Esme, well, I had already spilled the beans on our spa day; it wouldn't be much of a surprise to her.

"There's also our other news…" he trailed off as he rubbed my ring finger. "Are you ready to make our engagement official? Let everyone know? Can I finally put a ring on that naked finger of yours?"

My heart soared. I wanted nothing more than to tell the world that Edward was mine again and I would not let him get away from me this time. "Yes! Of course!"

"I didn't want to steal the thunder from Alice and Jasper's wedding, then the graduation. I think if we don't do it soon, we'll be competing with the arrival of Sunnybubbles Hale, or Emmett dragging Rose off to Vegas to get hitched."

"Okay, let's do it!"

When we parked outside our house, he turned in his seat to kiss me. "I love you."

"Mm…you too, Edward."

"Let's get you settled for your nap and I'll make plans for dinner."

I slept for a couple of hours and awoke to find that Edward had indeed gone out. A note on the bathroom mirror informed me that I should be dressed for a semi-formal dinner and to be ready by seven.

It was hard not to smile. Things were beginning to look up for all of us and it would be nice to put a lot of the drama behind us once and for all. Surely we'd had more than our fair share of angst over the years and were bound for a windfall of happy.

Right?

After putting in a couple of hours of work editing my thesis and sending it off to Irina, I took a shower and got dressed for dinner. Although it wasn't my most comfortable outfit, I put on my blue wraparound dress and a pair of strappy sandals. Edward said that he loved seeing me in this dress, but loved taking it off me even more.

Mm, I got a little damp thinking back to the last time I had worn it.

God, I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Edward arrived with Carlisle and Esme promptly at seven. They looked well-rested and greeted me warmly.

"How're things over at Rosie's? Is she okay?" I asked, looking behind my seat to see them.

"Calmer. Much, much calmer," Esme replied. "Rosalie is doing better, Jaden is oblivious, and Emmett is doing what he can to keep the peace."

"That's good. A little peace and quiet is what they needed. What we all need."

"Donald is staying with them tonight. Emmett is taking Jaden out to McDonald's and a movie to give them some privacy since he's leaving tomorrow," Carlisle added.

"Poor guy, having to go back to _that_."

"Actually," Edward interjected, not taking his eyes off the road, "he won't be going back to the house except to pack. He's rented an apartment that he saw online. Lillian is divorcing him."

We pulled up in front of a swanky Italian restaurant. Edward put the car in park, then he and Carlisle rushed around to open our doors. Oh, the gentlemanly Cullens. How was it that one gesture as simple as opening a door could make me feel like a princess?

Edward took my arm, escorting me into the restaurant where the hostess immediately seated us in a corner booth, away from the other patrons. Shortly after, the sommelier arrived and began discussing wines with the men.

Esme smiled warmly at me from across the table as she reached for my hand. "Bella, sweetie, how are you doing? I'm sorry that I've not spent much quality time with you lately."

I squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Under the circumstances, it's more than understandable. Maybe when things calm down a bit we can get together. I had a lot of fun when we all went to the spa."

Her face lit up. "Oh, it _was_ fun, wasn't it? I do love the other two girls an awful lot. My prayers were definitely answered when I prayed that you would be surrounded by loving and caring people when you left us; not to mention the relief that Emmett has finally settled down with a woman well-suited for him, who loves him for all his quirks."

"Those two are a match made in heaven, that's for sure."

"See, prayer does work!" she replied, grinning.

Edward took my other hand in his as soon as the sommelier left to get the wine. A waiter came over with menus immediately, making appetizer suggestions and rattling off specials. We all ordered almost immediately, leaving the four of us alone in the booth chatting amiably and enjoying the much needed breather from reality.

"Edward tells us that you had an appointment with Dr. King earlier today," Carlisle said. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, actually, it was a meeting with Dr. King and Dr. Vedder," I ventured, nervously.

Esme looked at me strangely. "Dr. Vedder? Isn't he…didn't he see Alice at the ER…?" she trailed off as her mouth opened into a huge O. "Are you? Oh my…"

Edward jumped in to save me. "No, no, at least not yet. We wanted to look into it, whether or not it would be a possibility based on Bella's condition."

Carlisle let out a huff. "Am I the only one who is in the dark on this particular topic? I don't think I've met Dr. Vedder. What is his area of specialization?"

"He's an OBGYN, Carlisle," I said quietly.

Esme had obviously kept her promise to keep the news of our attempts to conceive a secret, even from her husband. I saw the moment he figured it out clearly on his face. "You're going to start again? That's marvelous! What did Drs. King and Vedder have to say?"

Edward and I went on to tell them the details of our appointment, talking about the logistics, and whatnot. Carlisle started talking all medical-jargon and I sort of tuned out. Esme broke my reverie when she asked me how I was feeling about it all.

I couldn't help but sigh. "Torn. I couldn't be happier that there's hope, but at the same time I'm apprehensive. I'm trying to focus on the now, but I'd be lying if I said that the future didn't scare me."

"That's completely understandable, Bella, given the circumstances."

"I just have this fear that if this works and I manage to carry a baby to term that I'll have a seizure one day when we're home alone and something bad will happen. Or what happens if I have _the big one_ while I'm in labor and I end up a vegetable or we lose the baby? I couldn't do that to Edward.

"It's just a lot to consider. I'm trying to live in the now instead of worrying about tomorrow, but sometimes it's hard."

She smiled warmly at me. "That's the best attitude to have, sweetie. You can always talk to me at any time if you're having doubts or fears. You know that, right?"

"I do."

When the waiter cleared our table between the main course and dessert, Edward excused himself for a moment. I really didn't think much of it until the light music stopped and I heard his voice.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I apologize for the interruption, but I wanted to do something special for my soul mate, Miss Bella Swan."

Our attention was drawn to a small dimly-lit stage where Edward was seated behind a piano. He smiled at me and mouthed a silent _I love you_ before he began to play.

_Everyone's around, no words are coming now and I can't find my breath  
__Can we just say the rest with no sound?  
__And I know this isn't enough, I still don't measure up  
__And I'm not prepared; sorry is never there when you need it_

_And now I do want you to know I'll hold you up above everyone  
__And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me and I'd be so good to you_

_I thought I saw a sign somewhere between the lines but maybe it's me  
__Maybe I only see what I want  
__I still have your letter, just got caught between someone I just invented  
__Who I really am and who I've become_

_And now I do want you to know I'll hold you up above everyone  
__And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me and I'd be so good to you…_

Esme and I sat, tears streaming down our faces as Edward publicly declared his love for me. When the final note dissipated in the silent room, he looked up, grinning nervously before he stood up from the piano, making his way over to me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I love you—I have always loved you from the first day we met. Ever since we were but small children, I have been madly in love with you. You have been my best friend, my soul mate, my biggest fan, and even when I stupidly destroyed everything, even after all these years, you still find it in you to love me in spite of my flaws.

"After losing you once, I never want to lose you again. I can't face a future without you. I want to be tied to you in every way possible."

He got down on one knee. "It would be an honour and a real joy if you would agree to marry me, Bella. I promise I'll never make the same mistake twice."

All the air in the room seemed to be sucked up at that moment. The staff and patrons alike were hanging on for my answer.

"Yes, Edward, of course my answer is yes, you romantic fool," I slobbered and sputtered as I leaned in to kiss him. He stopped me, reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. My heart stopped when I saw the ring. "Is that my Mom's wedding ring?"

He nodded nervously.

I held my shaking hand out and he very carefully slipped the ring onto my finger. The room erupted into cheers and whistles as I threw myself into his arms. "I love you, Edward. Thank you."

Carlisle stood up and announced that he was paying for a round of champagne for the house and the cheering grew louder. He pulled me out of Edward's arms and into his. "I'm deliriously happy that you two found each other again and that you'll be legally tied to our family. You've always been one of us, and now you'll have the name to prove it."

Esme tugged frantically at my arm, finally managing to pull me away from her husband. "My Bella, oh how your parents would be loving this. They must be smiling down on you right now. I've waited for this moment for almost 20 years. I KNEW you two would marry someday. I never gave up hope."

We cried on each other until Edward asked me to dance. I hadn't noticed that the music had started up again, but I agreed. We danced slowly as everyone looked on, smiling and giving us the thumbs up.

"How's that for grand gestures, love?"

I laughed. "Completely unnecessary, but very much appreciated. That was beautiful, Edward. Thank you."

"I meant every word."

"I know. I wish I had words as beautiful as those to tell you the same thing. I love you with every fiber of my being, Edward Cullen and I can't wait to marry you. I can't wait to start a family with you again."

Edward rested his forehead against mine and looked deep into my eyes. "Thank you."

"No, Edward, thank YOU."

We danced quietly until the song ended, then returned to our table. The entire staff gathered around us, smiling. "Dessert is on us," the hostess said, placing a tray of decadent pastries and confections down in the middle of our table. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," I replied as I eyed a particularly sinful piece of triple chocolate cheesecake

"Thank you for sharing your special moment with us," she said as she shooed away the staff. "Please enjoy the rest of your evening."

Edward winked playfully at her. "I can assure you that we will."

I had to laugh as I watched the poor hostess blush when his words finally registered. "You need to leave her a big tip for that, Edward," I whispered as I ran my hand up his thigh, "she may need new underpants."

He laughed loudly before pulling my face in for a kiss.

Carlisle and Esme beamed at us from across the table. "See, Carlisle, I told you they'd be engaged before summer. Now pay up!"

Edward gasped in feigned shock. "You were taking bets on our relationship?"

"Yup. Your father owes me…"

Carlisle coughed loudly before raising his hand, waving toward the hostess. "Cheque please!"

Now it was my turn to blush, but then as I watched them interacting, I felt a sudden rush of admiration. They touched each other gently, naturally—hands clasped, or pinkies hooked together on the table top, sweet whispers between them…

"Are you alright, love?" Edward asked softly as he gently wiped a tear from my face. "Why are you crying?"

I rested my head on his shoulder as I linked our arms. "Just feeling…I don't know, overwhelmed, happy, sad…"

"Sad?"

"I miss my folks. Mom would have melted in a puddle at your _official_ proposal and Dad would have been smiling so hard his mustache would have fallen off."

Edward moved his arm so it was across my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. "I hope they're okay with this."

I nodded tearfully against his chest.

"Bella, sweetie, what's wrong?" Esme asked, alarmed at my current state of weepiness.

"Just missing Mom and Dad, that's all. Watching you two and the way you are with each other reminds me of them; the little gestures, the tenderness. I know that Dad often came off as being the tough Chief of Police, but when it came to my mom, well, he wasn't so tough. He loved her so much and she adored him. I used to love watching them in the kitchen when Mom was doing the dishes—he'd sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck. She would giggle and pretend to swat him away. I could never hear what he was saying, but I could hear her breathy giggles and I could see just how deep their love was.

"I used to wonder if I'd ever feel love that strong."

Edward stiffened slightly beside me. "And did you?"

I turned my head so we were nose-to-nose. "Oh yes, and a million times that."

The hostess returned at that moment with the bill, which Carlisle promptly dealt with by slipping his black Amex into the folder containing the bill. I was afraid that the bill for this evening was astronomical, and really, Edward and I had planned on paying.

"I've got it, Bella. I was the one who bought a round of champagne for the entire restaurant. Besides, it's the night of your engagement—you shouldn't have to pay."

I didn't argue with him because there was no point. Carlisle Cullen always won.

The Cullen men were stubborn creatures.

We dropped Carlisle and Esme off at Emmett's, asking them not to say anything about the engagement and the doctor's appointment until we could tell everyone all at once.

Edward's hands roamed my body as we drove home and I knew my blue dress would not stay on me much past the kitchen door.

And I was totally okay with that.

* * *

**Let the baby making begin! Just so you know, there is NO guarantee that they will get pregnant. Just because the doctors gave them the green light doesn't mean it's going to happen right away or at all. **

**For those of you who were upset with Edward's off-the-cuff proposal, this hopefully made up for it.**

**The song Edward sings to Bella in this chapter is _Good to You_ by Marianas Trench ft Jessica Lee  
You should check it out, it's a beautiful song. **


	23. Chapter 21

**This chapter comes courtesy of a co-worker with a big heart and an abundance of laptops. :) She has loaned me a netbook until my laptop comes back from the dead...aka the workshop of The Source somewhere in the techiverse.**

_*****WARNING*****_

**I have been told by my lovely betas that this chapter should have a strict warning on it. It's a tough one, an emotional one, and you may or may not need tissues, a fifth of vodka and someone to give you a hug.**

* * *

_**Rosalie**_

"You are a tough bitch, Rosalie Hale," I said to the bathroom mirror, squinting under the glare of the vanity lights. "You can do this. You can push it all back where it belongs." I paused and took a deep, reaffirming breath to steady myself. "You are NOT the same girl you were back then. You are in control. You decide what can hurt you and what can't. You have a new family who love you more than you could ever possibly comprehend. There is a man downstairs who loves you more than life itself and would kill for you in a heartbeat. There is a little boy down there who loves you, needs you, and makes you feel whole…"

The fucking tears started up again and the ironclad façade I had begun to rebuild crashed around me. I slid down to the floor, curling into a ball, hoping I could just disappear into myself.

Get a grip! I chided myself as I banged my head against the wall.

Thoughts swirled about in a heavy rotation as I sat there—memories resurfaced, smells, sounds, touches just as vivid and violating as they had been a decade ago. I was trapped on my back in that car as they…

Enough! Sitting here stewing wasn't going to help me any, and the strongbox where I had stored these vilest of memories had been cracked wide open and those memories couldn't be as easily shut away this time. I couldn't do this anymore, and I sure as hell couldn't do this alone. But I couldn't talk to the others…at least not yet.

I reached for my phone, found the number I needed and hit send.

"Hi, it's Rosalie. Are you busy? I need someone to talk to."

~0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

"Rosalie, I'd ask if everything was okay, but clearly it's not. Please come in, have a seat."

I flopped down into the comfortable chair in Zafrina's office and accepted the tissue she held out for me. "Thanks, Zafrina. I'm sorry to bother you, but…" I tried to swallow a sob, "…it's so hard to talk about this to _them_."

Pulling up another chair, she sat across from me, placing a hand on my knee. "You can talk to me about anything, Rosalie. Nothing leaves this office without your permission."

"I'm scared, though," I sniffled from behind the tissue.

"Of what?"

"Please don't take Jaden away from us."

Her once calm and reassuring demeanor quickly shifted to a more serious one. "Has something happened? Is he okay?"

"Oh, Jaden's fine. He and Emmett were building forts in the woods behind the house when I left."

"Well, what is it, then?"

I had clearly confused the poor woman. Time to explain myself. "My mother was in town for graduation; it was quite unexpected."

"Yes, I suppose that could be stressful. Did something happen while she was here?"

"Boy, did it ever." I went on to rehash the events of the past week—my parents coming, the pre-wedding fight, the wedding, graduation, Jaden's attempt to chastise her, and then I began to tell her about the confrontation after graduation.

"She flat out said she wished that she had aborted us. She hated us that much that she felt her life would have been better if we had never been born. What kind of mother says that?"

Zafrina took my hands in hers, not even concerned in the least about the wet Kleenex in my hand. "You of all people, Rose, should understand that giving birth doesn't make you a mother. You said yourself that she was never a mother to you.

"It's terribly cruel for her to say those things and I can't even begin to fathom how much it hurts to hear those words. A mother is supposed to love, nurture and encourage. By the sounds of it, she did none of those things."

"I…I tried so hard to make her love me. I never felt good enough in her eyes—ever. PawPaw was only able to love us so much, and I felt so alone, so unworthy, so unlovable, so I…I…"

"You looked elsewhere for affection?" she asked, finishing my thought.

I looked up at her. "H…how did you know?"

She smiled warmly at me. "It's very common for girls to seek affection from men to compensate for the lack of physical contact they receive at home. How old were you when this started?"

As the memories began to creep back in, I began shaking. "F…f…fourteen."

"Rosalie, look at me please. There's no judgment here. I," she got up and knelt before me, forcing me to look at her. "I need to know something, and it might be hard to say aloud. Were you raped?"

The tears ran without slowing as I nodded. It took a moment to find my voice, and when I did, it didn't even sound like mine. "I…I let the first guy do it. I was s…scared, but he p…p…promised he'd be gentle. He promised it would make me f…f…feel good, and he promised that it would make him love me more."

"Was he much older than you?"

I nodded. "University student."

"What did you mean by _the first guy_? Were there more?"

I nodded and directed my gaze to our hands, still clasped in my bouncing lap. I couldn't look at her anymore. "Three more. When he…when he finished with me, he got out of the car and told another guy to have a go at me since I was _broken in_. They all stood outside and watched each other fuck me." I shuddered once again, as if I could some how cringe away from the memory and make it all have never happened.

"Oh, Rosalie, you've been carrying this burden for a long time, haven't you?"

I couldn't answer her—I was clinging tenuously to the very weak grip I had on my emotions. It felt like I was being torn up from the inside out, and I was so congested that breathing was becoming a struggle.

Zafrina moved in and hugged me. "Sweetie, you need to let it go. Let it out; stop burying it because it'll make you sick.

"Does Emmett know?"

The thought of telling Emmett how horribly tainted I was terrified me. My breath hitched in my chest again as I began to panic. I shook my head no.

"Are you afraid to tell him?"

I sobbed loudly as I nodded. "He…he'll think I'm d…dirty!"

I felt her smoothing my hair back as she looked at me. "Rosalie, you are NOT dirty. You are one of the strongest women I have had the pleasure to meet, who is loved by an incredible group of people who would NEVER think ill of you for what happened. It wasn't your fault."

"But I let them do it! I opened my legs and let them do it! I AM dirty, Zafrina. Don't you see it? This is why I'm afraid you'll take Jaden, because I'm not fit to raise him." I was shouting now. Zafrina didn't let go of me, she just allowed me to get it out until I had nothing more to say.

"You were a little girl with no guidance, no understanding of love or affection, or the meaning of the word no."

"I WAS A WHORE! Even after that first horrendous first time, I kept sleeping around!"

"Look, Rosalie, I really think you need to speak to Emmett and I think you'd do well speaking to a friend of mine who deals with sexual assault victims."

It felt like she had slapped my face. Was she really dismissing me like this? I made a huge mistake; I knew it! I stood up and moved toward the door. "I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll go now." I felt embarrassed because it was clear that I had overstepped my boundaries. She thought I was dirty too.

"You're not understanding me, Rosalie. You aren't a bother at all, and I'm so incredibly honoured that you trusted me enough to come talk to me. I'm trying to help you the best way I can, and I think you'd get more out of speaking to my colleague of mine who works more with this kind of situation.

"I want you to deal with this. Hell, Rosalie, there are people who _need_ you to face it. You won't be much good to your family if you're carrying around all this guilt and pain.

"You and Jaden are going through something similar and I think you'll be better able to help him if you can first help yourself."

My knees buckled as I slid down the door. She was right. If I couldn't do this for myself, I had to do it for Jaden, for Emmett.

"Please call them. I can't do this alone anymore."

_**Emmett**_

I all but ran down the hall toward Zafrina's office. Never in a million years did I expect to be rushing here for Rosie.

Jaden and I had been playing in the backyard; Mom was visiting with one of the girls—Alice, I think, to discuss nursery décor or some shit like that, and I thought Rosie was taking a nap. She'd been sleeping a lot in the days since the big confrontation with her mother. I was worried about her, but Mom said that she would let me in when she was ready—that she likely had a lot to sort out.

You can imagine how surprised I was when Zafrina called to say that Rosie needed me. I hadn't even noticed that she left. Thankfully, she hadn't taken the Jeep. I packed up Jaden and arranged to drop him off with Bella and Edward. Jaden was confused at first, but when he realized that he could go play with Fred and listen to Edward playing piano, all other thoughts disappeared. He was in the backseat of the Jeep singing to himself about going to visit them, and I think I caught him doing the Cabbage Patch in his booster seat. If I hadn't been so stressed out, it would have been hilarious.

I heard Rosie crying before I even opened the door. "Rosie, babe, what's going on?"

Zafrina approached me slowly, which freaked me out. "Emmett, can you please come and sit down? Rosalie needs to speak to you about something. I'm going to help when I can, but its best if she does this herself."

"You're freaking me out! What's happening?"

My heart was racing and I was sweating like a pig when all the possible scenarios ran through my head. What could be so awful that she had to tell me in the presence of a licensed professional? I moved past Zafrina so that I could kneel down before my girl. "Babe, talk to me," I pleaded with her.

"Please don't hate me," she chanted as she rocked herself.

I moved my hand under her chin so I could see her eyes and they were terrified. What the fuck could have happened to freak her out so bad? I knew that things had gone terribly wrong with Cruella DeHale, but had it been _this_ bad?

"You're scaring me, Rosie. There's nothing you could do to make me hate you."

Zafrina cleared her throat. "Emmett, Rosalie's been experiencing some post-traumatic stress."

My eyes grew huge as my head whipped back and forth between the two women. "PTSD? From what? What brought it on? What's going on?"

Then something dawned on me. "This all started after you talked to your mother." I felt my voice getting louder but I couldn't seem to quiet it. "What did she do to you? Did she hurt you? Do I need to go find her and go apeshit on her?"

My heart broke when Rosie began sobbing even harder. I couldn't understand what she was saying at first, but then I heard the one word I neither expected, nor wanted, to hear.

Rape.

My Rosie had been raped. The crushing weight of this realization crammed my heart down to the depths of my size twelve feet and splattered into my toes.

"When, babe?" I whispered, suddenly unable to speak normally as I tried to keep my emotions in check. She didn't need me going off right now. I had to stay calm.

Over the next two hours, Rosalie painfully relayed the events of the night she lost more than just her virginity. We cried together, I comforted her as best I could and then she tried to console me as the weight of her confession hit me.

There was an inordinate amount of anger boiling up inside of me, but it quickly dissipated when she asked me if I was going to leave her.

"No! No! No! I'm never leaving you, babe! You're like my lobster—you know, like from that story you read to me about the chefs and how lobsters mate for life? Well, you're my lobster, Rosalie Hale. You're stuck with me."

It sounded like she may have chuckled briefly before she spoke again. "You're my unagi, Em."

"Um, I don't really like eels, babe, but okay." I ignored her look of confusion as I continued. "Besides, you and I know that we've both used sex for comfort in the past. I might not have been violated but I know how it feels to need that affection, the comfort in just having another warm body beside you, paying attention to you and caring about you, even for a brief moment in time. I don't think you're dirty at all; you were the victim in this in so many fucking ways."

I cradled her wet face gently in my big hands and tried to smile at her. "Please let me love you, Rosie. Please don't shut down on me and let me help you. Z," I said, turning to her, "can you help my Rosie? Can you help her heal?"

Zafrina smiled sadly. "I don't think I'm the best person for it, but my friend Amanda is trained to help adults dealing with this kind of thing."

"Is she good? How well do you know her?" I only wanted the best for my girl, who was now curled up in my lap sniffling.

"She's one of my best friends and was my college roommate. I'm not just suggesting her because we're friends, but because she is the best at what she does. She…well, this is a topic she is very familiar with, but I'll let her explain that a little more. I called over to her office and she's with clients until five, but she's agreed to come over as soon as she can get away if that's what you would like."

"Babe, do you want to talk to her about it?"

She nodded weakly.

"We'll wait to see her. Do you want us to move to another room?"

Zafrina smiled as she passed me a box of tissues. "I'm trying to find a nice quiet room with a comfy couch for you. You can stay here until I find one if you like. In the meantime, can I grab anyone a coffee? Water? Muffin?"

"We'll take a couple of waters, if you don't mind."

"I'll be right back."

I waited until we were alone before I spoke to Rosie. "Babe, I love you, you know that, right?"

Her reply was muffled and I wasn't overly confident that it was what I wanted to hear, but I needed to forge ahead. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

This time I heard the affirmation.

"Then why did you feel you had to hide this from me for so long?"

Her voice was whisper quiet. "I didn't remember."

"You forgot to tell me?" I asked as I smoothed back her hair.

"No, Emmett, I pushed it so far back," she paused to take a stuttered breath, "I couldn't remember it. It all came to the surface when I was…when…" she broke down again.

I held her closer to me, rubbing her back gently. "Sh, sweetheart, it's okay. I understand. So, is this why you've been so anti-social and distant for the past few days?"

Rosie nodded against my chest and increased her hold on me. "Don't be mad. I didn't…I…I was confused."

"I'm not mad at you. It's not your fault. We were all worried—Jasper especially."

"He knows."

I exhaled at her confession. Jasper's behavior made a lot more sense now. "That makes sense. He was acting like he had something to say, but he never spit it out."

Rosie took some ragged breaths, then sagged against me.

"You okay, babe?"

"I'm tired. God, Emmett, I'm so fucking tired."

I looked at the big wall clock and sighed. "We've got a couple of hours until we can see Amanda. Did you want to go home and take a nap?"

Her head shook against my chest. "No, I'll chicken out. I'll take a nap when Zafrina can find us a lounge."

Just then, Zafrina returned with water and sandwiches. "I thought you might get hungry."

I looked up at her and smiled weakly at the kind gesture. "Thanks, Z."

She chuckled as she passed over the water. "Z; I've missed having you around here, Emmett."

"Would it be rude if I said that I didn't miss being here?"

"Not in the least. So," she clasped her hands and smiled. "I've managed to score a lounge if you'd like to go lie down. Rosalie looks like she could use a place to crash."

I looked down and saw that she'd fallen asleep, her hands fisted in my shirt. "I think that would be a good idea."

Rather than wake her, I just stood with Rosie in my arms and walked to the lounge down the hall. She protested weakly when I deposited her on the couch, but fell back asleep almost instantly. As soon as I knew she was okay, I covered her with a blanket and moved into the hall to talk to Zafrina. I slumped against the wall, sliding down until my butt hit the cold floor.

"She's an amazing woman, Emmett. She'll get through this. I honestly can't tell you just how proud of her that I am, that after all these years she is able to not only handle the PTSD, but that she was able to step forward and say that she needed help. Most people would fall apart and destroy themselves and their loved ones along the way."

"Um, Z, did you not see her? She's pretty wrecked," I said as I ran my hands over my face.

Zafrina slid down and sat beside me. "That's an incredibly brave and strong girl in there. She trusted me enough to tell me and that's more than most people can do."

I sighed heavily as I pulled my knees up, resting my arms across them. I rested my cheek on my arm as I looked over at her. "I wish I had known. I wish she trusted me enough to tell me."

She put an arm around my shoulder. "She was afraid, Emmett. This is very overwhelming for her. Do you know what one of the first things she said was? _Please don't take Jaden away._ She was terrified that this would hurt your chances of adopting him. I think she came to me so she could deal with it so that it wouldn't interfere. She knows she needs to be at her very best so she can be better able to help him.

"She will get through this, Emmett, and she'll come out stronger than ever."

"What can I do?" I asked, "How can I help her?"

"Be there. Listen. Love her. Reassure her. Don't treat her differently and try to keep things as _normal_ as you can until you find a new normal, because things might not go back to the way they were."

"Thanks, Z. I don't know what we'd do without you. They seriously don't pay you enough to deal with our shit."

Zafrina laughed. "If I did it for the money, honey, I'd have left a long, long time ago. I do it because I wanted to help people, children especially."

I grinned at her. "Well, I think you're pretty damn awesome." I stretched out my arms and pulled her into a hug.

"There's a reason, Emmett. We all have our stories, our demons, and although they haunt us, and threaten to drag us under, I believe that strife begets strength, and I've chosen to use my strength to help others find theirs."

"What do you mean?"

"I was born in Sudan, raised in a refugee camp where I watched my family die at the hands of militants, starvation, or disease. A missionary group found me and brought me to the US, raising me as one of their own."

My jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

Zafrina lifted her shirtsleeves and showed me a series of angry raised scars. "My early years were incredibly hard, Emmett. I was tortured, abused, and nearly starved to death. My family was gone, and I had enough to deal with before I moved to a foreign country where no one spoke my language, no one understood what I was trying to tell them. Trying to rationalize my former life to this new and strange reality was exceptionally difficult.

"I slept under my bed for two years with my prized possessions. I was terrified of everything and everyone and I had no way to explain why. Of course, they knew that I had endured a terrible trauma; a child covered in vicious wounds, one who is terrified of everything, has obviously been through something horrible. A lot of these scars that you see were severely infected and I was too afraid to let anyone touch me for the longest time.

"Sure, communication was a huge barrier, but can you imagine going from a culture that is 99% black and being plunked down in the middle of white suburban America? I was the only black person in the entire town for the longest time. I always felt like a spectacle.

"Of course my new family loved me unconditionally," she smiled warmly. "I missed my biological family terribly, but my new family was kind and oh so patient with me as I adjusted to my new life and dealt with my PTSD."

"Wow." I was so completely and utterly floored by what she had told me. I couldn't picture this elegant, wonderful, kind woman as a terrified child being subjected to unspeakable horrors. "You would never know it."

Zafrina smiled at me. "Because the people who cared for me took the time to help me, found the right way to get through to me, eventually, and were patient when I had setbacks.

"I do what I do, Emmett, because I care and because I can understand what these kids are going through. It makes it easier to relate to them that way. I want to make sure that these precious little souls don't get lost along the way or wake up as an adult and find themselves dealing with repressed memories."

She sighed. "That's why I'm so upset about what happened with Heidi. It never should have happened—she's new, she's…well, let's just say that her methods aren't conventional and I've reported her. I had en e-mail from her supervisor who mentioned that she's on leave now."

"Permanently, I hope."

I heard and felt her laughing beside me. "You won't have to worry. She's not stepping foot in this hospital again if I have anything to do with it."

We sat in silence for a moment before she put her hand on mine. "We'll get them both through it, Emmett."

I turned my head to rest it on my knees. I was getting tired. "I hope so, Z, I really do. I can't stand to watch the people I love hurting so much."

Her hand moved to my shoulder and she winked at me. "Have faith; you will change their lives the way you change everyone else's. There's magic in you, Emmett Cullen. Never forget that. You are one of God's very special creatures and He directed these people to you so you can all heal each other."

There was a very large lump forming in my throat. "I hope you're right, because I can't lose them, Z, I need them as much as they need me."

"I know, sweetie. Hang in there. It can't rain all the time."

True, I thought, unless you live in Seattle.

* * *

**Did everyone survive? My betas are tough women and for both of them to recommend a stern warning I knew that I should listen to them.**

**I'd love to hear what you're thinking after reading that mess.**

**I wish I had a sneak peek for you, but things are so crazy right now that I don't. I feel like I'm letting you down, and I can hopefully make up for it someday soon.**

**A HUGE thank you to Minna for posting last week in my stead, and to Kathie who offered to do whatever she could to help me out in my time of need. I love you guys.**

**I have a rec for youse guys. I've been reading a great story by Burntcore called _Breaking from the Ordinary, _and my snuggle buddy and favourite tackle hugger DreamersDaze has started a new story _When Life Gives you Lemons: You Eat Them._**

**Also, please don't forget to check out _Dark Temptation_ by minnakoda, which just updated.**

**Sorry for the epic long A/N. There's a shit-ton more I could say, but you likely wouldn't read it anyway. If you do, please don't forget to vote for _Encore_ over at the Twinklings Walk of Fame Awards. :) It's up for Angst Goddess and Queen of Hearts. **


	24. Chapter 22

**Thursday again? Man, time flies when you're freezing your butt off.**

**I'm happy to say that this chapter will likely bring in my 700th review for this story, and I'm very excited about that. Thank you all so much for the support. I couldn't do this without you.**

**I know the last chapter upset a lot of people, and I'm sorry. I really am, but sometimes it has to hurt before it can get better. This chapter is going to be tough as well, but hopefully not nearly as rough as the last one. So, keep tissues nearby, just in case.**

**Big love to Minna and Katmom who lift me up and support me like a perfect bra.**

* * *

_**Edward**_

It was hard watching Bella agonize over Rose's sudden and as-yet-unexplained disappearance. Although she was playing a game of cards, Skip Bo to be exact, with Jaden, I could tell her mind was a million miles away.

Emmett had offered no information other than that Rose had freaked out and left. He knew where she was, that she was safe, and he was going to see her, but Jaden couldn't go. Since Mom was otherwise engaged with Alice working on the nursery, he was going to stay with us.

I was actually happy to have Jaden here; he really brightened the place up and Fred adored having the extra attention.

"Miss Bella? Hey, Miss Bella? It's your turn."

I looked over and saw her staring off into space. I dropped the wooden spoon I had been drying and ran over to her side. "Bella? Love?"

I moved a hand to touch her cheek. "Love? Come back to me."

"Mr. Edward?" Jaden asked nervously. "Is Miss Bella okay?"

Bella inhaled deeply, then shook her head. "Whose turn is it?"

My body relaxed at the sound of her voice. "Bella? Are you okay?"

I watched her scrunch up her face in confusion. "Yeah, I'm fine, why? Oh," she paused, frowning, "I spaced out again, didn't I?"

I nodded, cupping her cheek in my hand. "Do you feel okay? Do you need to lie down?"

She smiled. "No, I'm okay. Can you grab my bag for me though? I need my journal."

Bella has been so thorough with her journaling as the doctors tweaked her medication. Every gap out, black out, and staring session was documented in as much detail as possible. As it had only been a week since our appointment, there were only a few entries and I'm not even sure they were all bona fide seizure activity.

Jaden looked at me, worried, as I passed the book to Bella.

"What's wrong, Jaden?"

"Is Miss Bella okay? She's not going to fall asleep like Lily, will she?"

Bella looked up from the book. "No, sweetie. Sometimes my brain, well, I guess the best way to explain it is that my brain hiccups and I kind of space out. I promise I'm okay. I didn't mean to frighten you."

He smiled. "Oh, I'm not frightened; I was just worried about Mr. Edward. Mr. Emmett said that he's afraid that Mr. Edward's face is going to get stuck one of these days."

Okay, now I was confused. "I don't understand."

Bella started laughing. Obviously she got the joke and it was clearly on me. "Jaden, you'll have to explain it to Edward."

He chewed on his thumb for a moment, deep in thought. "Um, okay," he said, looking up at me, "when you are worried about Miss Bella you make your scrunchy face." He screwed up his face and I had to laugh.

"Do I really look like that?"

He nodded. "Mr. Emmett said that he's afraid that you'll get your face stuck like that because you do it so much."

I'll admit that while I was mildly offended, I found the whole thing rather hilarious. "I didn't realize that I did it so much. I'll have to be more careful. I'd hate to have it stay stuck like this." I scrunched up my face as hard as I could and crossed my eyes.

Jaden laughed loud and hard. "Oh, Mr. Edward! Y…you look like…oh man…you look like Fred's butt!"

Well, that did it. All three of us roared and laughed until we were crying.

I moved over to Jaden and gave him a hug. "You're awesome, Jaden."

"You too, Mr. Edward."

After we calmed down, Jaden and I went to make snacks while Bella picked out a movie. They were both a little tired, so it seemed like a good plan.

"Can we watch Toy Story?" she called out.

"Okay," we yelled back in unison, then laughed about it.

Jaden and I popped some popcorn and made cranberry punch. Dr. Singh recommended that Jaden try to drink at least one to two glasses of cranberry juice a day, or take a cranberry supplement to keep his urinary tract as infection-free as possible. An infection this soon after his surgery could be bad. Luckily he didn't mind drinking it, especially when we added something fizzy to it like ginger ale or 7-Up.

Bella was sitting on the couch waiting for us and patted a spot for Jaden beside her. He then grabbed my hand, pulling me down on his other side. He wriggled around a little until he was comfortable, then sighed. "Mm…cozy."

We watched the movie and munched until they both fell asleep within moments of each other. I watched them as they slept and smiled. Hopefully soon we would have our own child and enjoy more moments like this.

When my watching began to border on being creepy, I carefully extracted myself and moved into the music room where I began mapping out a new song that had been floating around in my head. Not wanting to wake them, I turned on my electronic keyboard and plugged in my headphones.

I don't know how long I had been playing before Jaden was beside me, sleepily tugging on my sleeve. He held out the phone.

"The phone woke me up. It's Mr. Emmett."

"Thanks."

"I have to pee," he said, yawning, "gotta go."

He stumbled off, still half asleep, and I worried he might fall.

"Edward? Yo, Edward? You there?" Emmett's voice called out from the handset.

I lifted it to my ear. "Sorry, Em, I was just making sure Jaden didn't walk into a wall. What's up?"

"Fuck, man, we're in a bit of a situation, and I don't mean one of the six pack-flashing Jersey Shore persuasion. I can't go into it, but I was wondering if Jaden could stay with you guys tonight? I don't want him to get freaked out. Mom and I are going to stay at the house with Rosie and try to get this sorted out so he can come home sometime tomorrow."

"Em, what the hell is going on? Is Rose okay?"

I heard him sigh loudly. "I don't know."

"Does this have anything to do with what happened when her mother was here?" I asked, trying to get some sort of idea of what was going on.

Another big sigh from my brother alerted me that I was likely on the right track. "Kind of."

"Say no more. We'll pretend like everything is cool and it's a big sleepover. What about pajamas?"

"You've got keys to the house, right?"

I got up, walked to the kitchen, and checked my key ring which was hanging on a peg by the door. "Yeah, I've got it."

"Just go grab some stuff. He loves his Spongebob PJs the most. Grab some clothes for tomorrow too. His toothbrush is in the bathroom. Don't forget to grab my old quilt; he's become kind of attached to it lately."

"Got it. We'll keep him for as long as you need us to. I like having him around. He's a pretty cool kid."

"It's about time you two bonded," he chuckled. "I knew it was just a matter of time before he had you wrapped around his finger just like the rest of us. Thanks, bro. I'll call you later."

"Give Rose our love, okay? Tell her not to worry."

"I will. Give Baby Girl a hug and please don't let on to the little guy that anything is wrong. Don't hesitate to call if you need me. If he has nightmares, just sing to him. If he can't seem to calm down, call me and I'll come get him."

"No worries, Em. We've got it under control."

"Thanks. Love you, man."

"You too, Em. Go take care of Rose."

There was another sigh before he disconnected.

Well, guess we've got a kid for the next day or so. I looked out into the living room and saw that Jaden had curled back up beside Bella and was wrapping his finger in her hair as he sucked his thumb and stared at the TV.

I'd have to wait until Bella woke up before I could go pick up his stuff. I looked at the clock and saw that it was getting close to suppertime, so I rifled through the cupboards to see what we had that a seven year old would like to eat.

Mm…homemade mac and cheese might be nice. Kids like that. I could just make it a little healthier. I grabbed my laptop from the music room and sat at the breakfast bar to Google some recipes until Bella woke up.

It wasn't long before she began to stir and I watched as her arms stretched above the top of the couch.

"Mm…hi, Jaden," she mumbled sleepily.

"Hi, Miss Bella," he replied from around his thumb. "Good nap?"

"Yup," she said, ruffling his hair, "the best. Where's Edward?"

"Back here, love. Can I get you something?" I called out from my perch in the kitchen.

Jaden popped his head up over the side of the couch. "Juice, please!"

Bella laughed and kissed the top of his head. "I'll grab some for you."

She got up slowly and made her way back to me, placing a kiss on my nose when she reached me. "Hi."

I smiled back at her. "Hi. We, uh, we need to talk."

_Alice_

Jasper's been acting strange. Ever since his parents showed up, he's been acting just plain bizarre. Of course it's to be expected in some manner after the bullshit that flew when Mama Hale went ballistic, but just the same, he's acting off.

My husband has always been quiet, introspective, but lately he's just…I don't know, morose? Melancholic? Maudlin? I have no clue exactly what would describe his demeanor. We are supposed to be having the happiest days of our lives and he is sweating emo like a fat goth kid running laps. Something happened to my baby's daddy and it was beginning to affect me.

Esme and I were picking out paint colours, comparing chips with some of the baby items we'd already been given when she stopped and looked at me.

"Spill it, Alice."

"What?"

"What's been eating you all day?"

I tried to deflect her by pointing out a particularly lovely shade of green I had been looking at, but to no avail. Esme's laugh rang out and it made me giggle.

I love the sound of her laughter, it's so pure and warm and infectious. Bella had mentioned before that on her worst days after the accident sometimes the only thing that would bring her back around was Esme's laugh.

"Sweetie, don't think for a second that you can pull the wool over my eyes. I raised Emmett and Edward—I can smell BS a mile away. So, what's on your mind?"

"I miss my mom?" I tried. "I have gas? Sometimes I don't feel so fresh down there?"

She laughed again as she put down the colour samples she had been perusing. "You're too much, Alice. Look, I won't push you, but I want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk. I know you're bummed that your mom left; truth be told, so am I. Millie is a wonderful soul and I can't wait to go on that yoga retreat with her in the fall."

I couldn't help but smile. Esme and Mom had hit it off like long lost best friends and it made me happy to see them acting like two carefree schoolgirls. They promised to e-mail each other as often as possible and I think Esme had finally convinced Mom to learn how to send text messages.

I moved over to sit on a Rubbermaid bin of baby clothes and sighed loudly. "I'm worried about Jasper."

Esme pulled over another bin so she could sit facing me. "He's not really acting like himself, is he? Any idea what happened, or if it's something related to that monster, er, his mother?"

"He won't tell me. He just smiles and says he's tired, or he makes an excuse. He's working through something BIG and I'm feeling like shit because I can't help him."

"He'll probably tell you when he's ready."

"I can't take much more of it, Esme. His mood is wearing off on me and I'm scared it's going to stress out the baby." I rubbed my belly and sighed. "She's much more agitated when he's around; I think she's picking up on his negative vibe."

Smiling sadly, Esme took my hand in hers. "Can you blame him for being upset? His mother told him and Rosie some horrible things and he's going to need time to digest it. I know they never had a good relationship to begin with, but can you imagine the shock of hearing your mother say that she wished that you'd never been born? That she wished she'd aborted you? That's a lot to take in, don't you think?"

My heart broke every time I heard what that bitch had said to them. I rubbed my belly again and wondered just how evil or broken a mother must be to tell her children something like that. Fine, if she feels that way, then that's her prerogative. She didn't need to spit it back into their faces.

Sunnybubbles flipped around and kicked my diaphragm. "Oof."

"Sunny doing cartwheels?" she asked, concerned.

I winced as I nodded.

"She knows you're upset. Look, Alice, I'm not really sure how to get Jasper to open up, but—"

"I'm ready."

My head snapped around toward the sound of my husband's voice. "Jasper!"

He walked into the room and dropped to his knees in front of me, resting his cheek over our baby. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize how it was affecting you."

Esme stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you two talk—I'll finish up in here and then head back to Emmett's."

Jasper grasped her hand in his, looking up at her. "I can't thank you enough, Esme."

He stood and helped me up. We walked to our bedroom and sat in the basket chair. I leaned back on his chest and pulled his arms around me, linking our hands over our child.

"Alice, I've been trying to work through everything that's gone down over the past couple of weeks; the wedding, graduation, rebuilding my relationship with my father, coming to terms with my mother's confessions, and dealing with Rosie.

"Things are far from good right now, darlin'. We're supposed to be basking in marital bliss, not dealing with my—" he stopped, dropping his head onto my shoulder, "shit." His hot breath tickled my skin, causing my body to shiver.

It wasn't long before I felt hot wet tears on my skin and I knew we'd finally reached the moment when he would open up. I squeezed his hands, offering support and silently urging him to continue.

"I thought I was strong enough," he began again, speaking softly as he sniffled. "I thought I could deal with it because I think deep down I always knew this was how she felt. But to hear her say it out loud? I wasn't prepared for the pain. Even harder than that is just how fucking confused I am. I'm conflicted in so many ways that there's no rhyme or reason to any of it; it doesn't make sense. I'm hurt, angry, and sad. I want to hate her and I can't because I feel pity for her."

He held me tighter. "I'm so messed up right now, Ali. I'm sorry, oh god am I sorry. Until I overheard you speaking with Esme I had no idea that my mood was being projected onto you. I'll try to be more open with you, but…but it's hard. I'm the one that people come to when they're hurting, I'm the one who can seem to make sense of everyone else's problems and be the wise old Jedi master, but when it's me…" he exhaled loudly.

"I know, baby, I know. You can't be Yoda all the time, and it's especially hard to impart wisdom on yourself. You do what you need to, but please don't shut me out. We can do this together, as a family. I love you, Jasper, all of you; your good, your bad, and your emo. All of you."

Esme knocked on the door. We invited her in and I was instantly worried when I saw her face. "Jasper, can you um, here…" she handed him the phone. "Talk to Emmett."

"Em? What's…?" Jasper said before I heard the faint but worried voice of Emmet on the other end of the call. Jasper's face paled as he listened. "Yeah, I'll be right there," he said when he finally spoke again.

"What's happening?" I asked as he tried to get up from behind me.

"Rosie…I, uh, Esme and I need to go. Would you like to stay here or go to Bella's for the night? They have Jaden over there."

"What's wrong with Rosie?"

Jasper managed to manoeuver us both so he could get up. He took my hands, pulling me to my feet. "Rosie's dealing with something pretty heavy right now and when she kind of hit a breaking point she went to see Zafrina. They're at the hospital and I need to go help my sister. Emmett has asked Esme to help out when they get home."

"But…" I was Rosie's best friend. Why wouldn't she confide in me?

Jasper, even when stressed to the max, can read me like an open book. "Darlin, she didn't tell anyone that something was up until she blurted it out when Mama was here. She can't deal with everything all at once—she's overwhelmed and scared. Hell, she hadn't even told me, and I'm her fucking twin brother."

I hugged him. "Go. I'll ask Edward to come pick me up. Take care of our Rosie and ask Zafrina if she knows someone you can talk to—you need someone too.

"I love you, Jasper." I kissed him tenderly.

"I love you more, darlin'."

_Jasper_

Me? Moody? Hearing Alice say that was a bit of a shock, but it was what I needed to hear. I _had_ been acting a little less like myself since graduation, but I hadn't realized just how much was rubbing off on my wife. I had been trying to keep busy so I would be less prone to brooding, but I must have failed. I pulled the wool over the kids' eyes at school, but I couldn't fool the scrutinizing gaze of my Alice.

I was glad that Esme had offered to drive. I was far too distracted to pay attention to the road and would have likely wrapped us around a telephone pole or the nearest tree. My mind was reeling thinking about my twin suffering so much. And suffering alone at that! For a week! I had tried to talk to her but she refused to open up about anything.

"Not your burden to bear, brother mine," she had said, her voice lacking emotion.

As soon as we parked at the hospital, I took off at a dead run, rudely leaving Esme in my wake. I was on auto-pilot and didn't realize what I had done until Emmett asked where she was.

"Shit, sorry, I…"

Rosie opened the door of a quiet room and stared at me before bursting into tears. I pushed past Emmett and pulled my twin into my arms, backing her into the room, away from prying eyes.

"Rosie, you're scaring me. What happened?"

"Too much. I can't…I can't carry it all and be healthy enough to raise Jaden. I'm…I'm drowning. Zafrina's friend is coming to talk to me, to us."

"Us?"

"Me and Emmett. Look, Jazzy, I know you're feeling a lot of guilt and hurt right now too and I wanted you to be here with me, with us, if you want."

I kissed the top of her blonde head. "I want to help as much as I can."

She exhaled loudly, relaxing in my arms. "I am so fucking glad you said that because I think you and I need to do some counseling together to deal with the Mama shit. I know you're hurting and I know you've been trying to take on my pain, but you can't, you shouldn't. You have your own to deal with. Will you see someone with me?"

I nodded. "I need to deal with this. I don't need any distractions, Rosie, I have a baby on the way and she deserves a whole daddy."

My sister began to cry again, only now it sounded less desperate and more relieved. I rested my cheek atop her head. "We're going to be okay, Rosie."

She sighed, squeezing me hard. "I hope so. Thank you, Jazzy."

"Rosie, I'd walk to the ends of the earth for you. You're my sister, my kindred. We're going to deal with your heartache, I'm going to deal with my issues, and we're going to be okay. We have families to raise; we have very small people depending on us."

I felt her chuckling against my chest. "What's so funny?"

"You and me—parents. That's just so…" she lifted her head and looked at me, her eyes still looking somewhat sad, but a small smile quirked on her lips, "fucked up. When did we grow up, Jazzy?"

I frowned, looking away. "We've always been ahead of the others in the maturity department. We were always the most mature in our classes. I think the only time we got to be kids was when we were with PawPaw."

My sister rested her head on my shoulder and exhaled loudly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Memories of playing in PawPaw's backyard ran through my head and I felt a painful pang of homesickness. PawPaw would be heartbroken if he saw this clusterfuck. He'd make cocoa, pull out his worn quilts and curl up with us in front of the old stone hearth where he'd build a massive fire. We would take turns all talking about what was bothering us and he would offer options, not answers. PawPaw believed strongly that children learned best by making their own choices and dealing with the consequences. It really afforded us a unique opportunity to grow up as responsible adults, fully understanding, unlike some of our counterparts, that there is a consequence to every choice we make. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

But this hadn't been our choice. This had been _her_ choice, and we were paying for it. What options would he have offered to Rosie had she told him she'd been gang raped? What lessons should she have learned that wouldn't make her feel like she had asked for it? She didn't deserve it. Even if she had said yes to the first one, the others had no right whatsoever to…

"Jazzy? You're hurting me."

"What?"

"You," Rosie squeaked, "you're squeezing me too hard. What're you thinking about anyway? You've been lost in space."

I released her from my grip, shifted her away from me and held my head in my hands, fisting my hair out of frustration.

"Hey," she whispered, "stop it, Jazzy. Please. Don't go someplace dark because of me. I need you here. You need to be here, not in a bad place."

The thought of my sister suffering at such a young age and the fact that it was all Mama's fault began to burn in me, my anger finally boiling to the surface and I could feel it beginning to spill over.

"Jasper, don't. I don't need anger right now."

Rosie pulled my hands out of my hair, then held my face so we were at eye level. "Please. Don't. I can't handle seeing you like this. I need my calm, cool brother. I need my rock."

"He can't always be your rock—look at him, babe, he can barely hold himself together," Emmett said quietly as he entered the room. "Let me shoulder some of it, bro. Let me take care of Rosie so you can deal with your own demons."

I looked over at him and nodded. I knew that I could offer some support, but there was no way I could be everything she needed. I had to let go to save myself. It felt like we were in some twisted remake of Titanic, only I knew if I let go of my loved one, there was someone there to catch us, pull us into the lifeboat and shuttle us both off to safety.

I had to do this for Alice and for Sunny.

I stuck out my hand to Em. "Okay."

He moved over, took my hand and pulled me to my feet, into a powerful hug. "Thanks, Jazz. I promise I'll keep her safe."

"You'd better."

A quiet knock came at the door. Esme poked her head in, "Kids, Amanda is here. If you don't need me, I thought I'd go back to the house and make some dinner for when you come home. You'll all likely be starving."

I watched Rosie get up and walk over to Esme. She hugged her tightly, speaking quietly to her. Esme's eyes filled with tears up as she listened to Rosie, nodding from time to time or hugging her tighter.

Esme pulled away and wiped her eyes before moving toward Em and I. She hugged her son and kissed his cheek before turning her attention to me. Her warm arms wrapped around me before she began speaking. "Jasper, sweetie, I am incredibly proud of you. You are doing the right thing. This isn't going to be easy, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. Anytime you need me, for whatever reason, I will be there. Do not hesitate to talk to me, okay?"

I nodded, too choked up to speak. I kissed the top of her head and gave her one last squeeze.

"You are loved, Jasper. You are worthy of love. I love you, sweetie."

Again, I nodded, too moved to speak. I released her and watched as she left the room.

A young woman, probably in her mid-30s entered the room with Zafrina. She oozed warmth and serenity, and I immediately relaxed—a little. Her curly brown hair bounced lightly as she lifted her head, a very peaceful smile gracing her features. "Hi, everyone, I'm Amanda, and I'm here to help."

She fixed her gaze on each of us and I felt a sense of power and hope in her hazel eyes. Rosie smiled at me before taking my hand in hers.

"Thank god, because we need it."

* * *

**~ducks to avoid the projectiles~ It wasn't too bad, was it? If it makes you feel better, I snot-sobbed over the ending of High Anxiety last week, so I'm not heartless, and I do cry. Just sayin'. :)**

**As far as I know, the Twinklings Walk of Fame awards are still in the voting stage, so please pop on over and vote for your favourites...which may or may not include _Encore_. ~wink wink, nudge nudge~**

**I know I've rec'd this fic before, but Bratty-vamp's _Click and Strum_ has been owning me, and she's been updating every day this week. If you haven't started reading this fic, you should. It's pretty damn addictive.**

**My girl Nikka posted a new story, a Christmas present for our sweet ASS. Please go check it out: _Don't Forget Me_ by Nikita2009.**

**And I thought I'd also do a shout out to my girl Rowan Moon and her wonderful fics. Start with Broken Doll, and then head into the sequel _From the Ashes._ She writes like how I would love to paint. **

**So many wonderful fics to read and so little time. I appreciate everyone taking time out of their busy days to read this story and even moreso, that so many of you make time to leave reviews. I love reading them. I enjoy replying to them. It's a win-win situation.**


	25. Chapter 23

**It's Thursday again? Wow! Time flies when you're constantly getting hit by snow storms.**

**This is a lot of Bella and Jaden this time around. Be warned, you might need a tissue, and you might need to check your insulin because sometimes this kid is so damn sweet it's enough to cause diabetic symptoms and tooth decay. ;)**

**As always, I tip my hat to the prowess and awesomeness that is Minna and Katmom. They are my dream team and I'm ever so thankful for them, even when they tell me I don't make sense...because they're usually right. **_**Bella**_

* * *

Jaden knew something was up. As hard as we tried to hide it, the kid was entirely too intuitive. Mind you, he really only expressed his suspicion after the touchdown-worthy dance he did when we asked if he'd like to stay over.

"Can Fred sleep with me?" he asked as he bounced up and down on his tiptoes, waving his arms over his head like one of those novelty inflatable waving arms guys you see at used car lots.

"Sure," I replied, laughing, "if he wants to."

He pulled his arms down and began doing the cabbage patch. "Oh, he'll waaaant to, he'll waaaant to," he was singing as he danced around us, inciting tearful howls of laughter from Edward and me.

Edward's phone rang, prompting him to step away to take the call. Jaden leapt back onto the couch and leaned against me. "Seriously, though, Miss Bella, why am I staying here? Is something wrong?"

Edward rushed in before I could answer. "That was Alice. She's spending the night too. I'm going to go pick her up, grab some PJs for Jaden and I'll be back." He moved over to Jaden. "Is there something in particular that you want me to grab?"

The little guy thought for a moment before he answered. "Yes, please. I want my _blue_ Spongebob pajamas. Not the red or the yellow, but the _blue_ ones. I would like my quilt, my stuffed beaver, my toothbrush, my Harry Potter book, my killer bunny slippers, and I want you to tell me what's really going on."

I sighed. "I'll try to explain what I can while Edward is gone. Is there anything else?"

"More cranberry juice. I need to drink lots of cranberry juice to keep my pee healthy."

"I have some here already, but I can pick up more when I'm out. Any particular kind that you like best?"

"Grape, please."

Edward typed in Jaden's list of requests then read it out to ensure he had everything before he kissed us both and headed out the door. No sooner than it had closed Jaden turned to me. "Spill it, Miss Bella. I know I'm a kid and I look and act dumb sometimes, but I see and hear more than you know."

What the…man, this kid is just too much! "Have you noticed anything different at home lately?"

He pondered my question momentarily before frowning. "Yes. Miss Rosie has been sad, sleepy and quiet since her big graduation day. I was worried about her, but Mr. Emmett told me that she would be okay. Did he lie?"

"No, sweetheart, he didn't. Miss Rosie is going to be okay, but she needs some time. You know how you see Mr. Scott and how he is trying to help you?"

He nodded.

"Well, Zafrina is going to try to help Miss Rosie talk about some things that are bothering her."

Jaden's bottom lip quivered. "Did I make her sad, Miss Bella? You can tell me the truth."

I gasped at his question before I pulled him into my lap. "No, sweetie, it's not you at all. In fact, you make her incredibly happy. I don't know exactly what caused Miss Rosie to be so sad and upset right now, and really, I don't think that's the important thing. What you need to know most is that she's trying to get better and be at her very best for you, so she needs to deal with…with…" I wasn't sure how to word it.

"Deal with her sads?" he offered.

"Yes, that's it exactly. She's going to deal with her sads to get better for you, for Mr. Emmett, and most importantly, for herself."

"How can I help her?"

"You can love her. Be kind to her. Make sure she knows that we all care about her no matter what."

"I can do that."

I smiled at him. "You're already doing it. So, what do you want to do while we wait for them to come back?"

"Can I see some pictures of Emma?"

The air was sucked out of my lungs when I processed his request. I was expecting him to ask to play Wii or watch a movie or play cards. I never expected him to want to see pictures of Emma.

"Y…yes, of course." I got up and walked over to the bookcase across the room, where I pulled out several photo albums. He was smiling at me as I sat back down. "So, um…" I pulled the first one out of the pile, "let's start at the beginning."

Jaden marveled over the enigma that was Emma. His comments ranged from awe to giggles, and then melancholy as we neared the end of the final album and I told him about the accident. It was hard to see them, I won't lie, but it almost felt a little easier when I was retelling the stories to Jaden. He was so engaged by them, had such an interesting take on things that it was like seeing my baby girl's life through new eyes. I marveled at how emotional he was when I closed the last album.

"Are you okay, Jaden?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at me, his eyes wet. "It's just so sad, Miss Bella. Everyone was so happy, even your mom and dad, and everyone loved them so much and then…then they're just gone. I guess it's kinda like me—I lost my baby brother, my mommy and my daddy and I was hurt and in the hospital. Then Mr. Emmett came and like you, he made me better."

Hmm…I had never thought of our lives having such incredible parallels. "I suppose you're right."

"Does it get better?" he asked softly.

"What's that?"

"Do the sads ever go away? Will it ever stop hurting?"

I smiled down at him lovingly. "Yes, sweetheart, it does get better. It never goes away completely, even if you try to hide from it, but it does get easier to think of them and want to smile instead of feeling like you have to cry.

"I tried to hide from it; I didn't want to talk about what happened and I spent four very sad and sometimes lonely years hiding. If I had just confronted my pain and my sads back then, I would have found happiness sooner."

He nodded. "I'm not ready yet."

"That's okay, sweetheart, it's still very early. Sometimes it takes a while. You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I got a smile from him then, and I knew we were about to make some progress.

"Yes, Miss Bella. You understand me better than anyone. You understand just how sad it can be. I promise I'll talk to you about it when I'm ready."

My eyes filled with tears as I rested my cheek on his head. "Thank you, Jaden."

"What for?"

"For trusting me."

"Oh." He was quiet for a moment. "Miss Bella?"

"Yes?"

He moved over to crawl onto my lap. "Will Mr. Emmett ever look at me the way he looked at Emma? Do you think he can love me?"

God, this child was going to destroy me. "Yes I do. He already does."

"But," he sighed, "I'm not family. Not really."

"Do you want to be part of our family?"

He nodded, his eyes glowing. "I DO! If I can't have my mommy and daddy, I can't think of a better family to have. I'd like to stay with Mr. Emmett and Miss Rosie, I want to be a Cullen or a Swan or a Hale—no, wait, I don't want the same name as nasty Mama Hale."

I started to laugh, but his stare stopped me mid-chuckle. "I'm serious, Miss Bella, Mama Hale is pure evil. She's like Voldemort, or even worse, she's like…the devil. What did Mr. Emmett call her the other night when he thought I was asleep?" he paused, tapping his index finger on his chin as he was deep in thought, "Mama Hale is a bitch on wheels with a stick up her ass."

He stopped, clapped his hands over his mouth and gasped. "Oops!" His big blue eyes grew even larger, "I didn't mean to cuss like that. Please don't tell anyone."

Mental note to self: remind Emmett to watch his cursing; Jaden doesn't miss a thing. "I promise I won't say a word. And you're right, you know. She IS all of those things."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. I realized this was his way of letting me know he was done talking for now. I turned on the TV, not wanting to overwhelm him—we'd had a pretty heavy discussion. The silence was soon broken when my phone rang a few minutes later; Edward had started making supper but hadn't finished. He gave me the instructions and said that he and Alice would be home shortly.

I left Jaden in the thralls of Phinneas and Ferb on the Disney channel and went to finish the mac and cheese. All I really had to do was turn on the oven and mix the crumbly topping. As soon as it was in the oven, I moved over to look at my whiteboard to plan the rest of the week.

What day is it? Saturday? Okay, I have a meeting with Irina on Monday, an appointment with Dr. King on Tuesday…

_**Jaden**_

I heard a loud noise in the kitchen and then nothing.

"Miss Bella? Miss Bella?"

When she didn't answer me, I got up and walked out to the kitchen to see what was going on. "MISS BELLA!" I screamed when I found her on the floor, not moving. She was white as a ghost and her eyes were wide open. I moved over and shook her a little. "Miss Bella? Please wake up! I'm scared."

Her eyes fluttered and she groaned. "Edward."

"Mr. Edward isn't here, Miss Bella. I'm scared. What do I do?"

"Phone. Edward."

I got up and ran out to get her phone. She was asleep when I came back and wouldn't wake up. "Miss Bella? Please wake up again. I don't know Mr. Edward's number!" Wait, he just called her, didn't he? I pushed some buttons on her phone and saw Mr. Edward's name, so I pushed the another one and hoped I had the right one.

"Bella?"

Oh thank goodness it worked! "Mr. Edward! Miss Bella fell down! She won't wake up and I'm scared. I don't know what to do!"

I heard a weird screeching noise on the phone before Miss Alice started speaking. "Jaden? It's Miss Alice. What is Miss Bella doing? Is she shaking?"

"No, she's asleep or her brain had a hiccup or something. I don't know what to do!" I started to cry.

"Calm down, sweetie. We'll be there in a few minutes. Until we get there I need you to stay calm so you can help her. Can you get a blanket from the couch?"

"Yes. I'll get it. Then what?"

"Is Miss Bella lying on her back?"

"Yes," I said as I grabbed the blanket off the couch and ran back into the kitchen.

"You need to gently roll her onto her side and try not to move her head too much. Do you think you can do that?"

I looked at my stupid cast, afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it. But I had to. Miss Bella needed me. "Yeah. I need to put the phone down for a minute."

I tried to roll Miss Bella over onto her side and she groaned. I hoped that I hadn't hurt her too badly. "I'm sorry, Miss Bella."

I covered her with the blanket and picked up the phone. "Okay, I did it."

Miss Alice let out a big breath. "You're awesome, Jaden. Now, what is she doing?"

I looked at Miss Bella. "She's moaning. I think I hurt her. I didn't mean to."

"Sh, sweetie, don't cry. Miss Bella will be okay. It's very important to keep her on her side and keep her calm in case she wakes up. Can you talk to her in a quiet voice?"

"Can I sing to her instead? I don't know what to talk about."

"Yes, sweetie, I think singing would be a better idea. Set the phone down and sing until we get there. We won't be long."

"Please hurry, I'm scared."

I set down the phone and started to sing all the songs Mommy used to sing when I was sick or scared. Miss Bella opened her eyes after a little while and reached her hand out to me. I held it and kept on singing until I heard the door open and Mr. Edward and Miss Alice rushed in.

Miss Alice sat beside me and tried to get me to move, but I couldn't leave Miss Bella. I was scared that something was going to happen. I didn't want her to die like my mommy did.

"Just for a second, Jaden. Mr. Edward needs to help Miss Bella; he needs to pick her up and take her to the bed so he can help her. As soon as he's done, we can all go lie down with her."

I let her help me to my feet and lead me to the couch where she hugged me hard as she cried. "You are such a smart and brave boy, Jaden. You handled that so well. I'm so proud of you. You're a hero."

I cried loudly as it all came crashing down on me. I sobbed and snotted all over her pretty shirt and I could feel Sunnybubbles kicking at me, probably telling me to stop crying on her mommy.

Mr. Edward carried Miss Bella to the bedroom and asked Miss Alice to turn off the oven and take out supper as he passed by. He smiled at me. "Thank you, Jaden."

Miss Alice ran her fingers through my hair. "Miss Bella will be okay, sweetie. She just needs to rest right now. Let's get dinner out of the oven and have a bite to eat. Does that sound good to you?"

"I'm not really hungry." I wasn't. I felt icky.

"I bet you'll change your mind when you see what Mr. Edward made. I don't know about you, but I'm famished and Sunnybubbles is poking at me; she loves mac and cheese."

I rolled my eyes at her. How foolish did she think I was? "Babies don't eat mac and cheese, Miss Alice."

I got up and helped pull her off the couch. Her belly made it hard for her to move around, and she especially had trouble standing up.

"I'll explain it to you, kiddo. Come on."

Miss Alice explained to me that technically the baby ate the same food that she did, even though the baby wasn't chewing the food. I was still confused, but I laughed when she told me that Sunnybubbles loved to eat tacos. I had the funniest vision of a baby munching on tacos in Miss Alice's belly.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she dished up some ooey gooey macaroni.

"A little."

"Think you can try to eat a few bites?"

I nodded.

Miss Alice sat beside me as we ate and I told her about my day, leaving out the part where I cursed. She told me about doing work in the baby's room with Missus Esme. I was excited to go to her house to see it; it sounded awesome.

Eventually, Mr. Edward came out and sat beside me, ruffling my hair. "Thank you for helping Miss Bella, buddy. I owe you BIG TIME."

"Is she okay?" I asked before taking another bite of my dinner. "Oh, and good supper. It's pretty yummy."

He laughed a little, then got serious that way that only Mr. Edward does. "Thanks, I'll have to give the recipe to Emmett. Miss Bella is okay. She's asleep now and she'll probably sleep for quite a while."

"Oh no! Not like Lily is sleeping, right?" I shouted, dropping my fork onto my plate, making a loud clanging noise.

"No, no, kiddo, it's okay. Miss Bella had a seizure—a brain hiccup. Remember when she had one earlier? Well, she must have been standing up when it happened again. Believe it or not, it wasn't a bad one. She'll be okay.

"I'm so sorry you had to be here alone when it happened, but I'm not sorry that you were here to help her. You were able to put her in a safe position; you see, sometimes when she has a seizure she gets sick to her stomach. If she gets sick while she's lying on her back, she could breathe in her vomit and choke on it. It's very important that whenever she has a seizure that we roll her onto her side."

I nodded, and was relieved that I didn't have to see Miss Bella get sick. I probably would have gotten sick too.

"Singing to her helped keep her calm and helped her to realize that she wasn't alone. Seizures are just as scary for the person having one as it is for those of us who have to watch them. You did everything right, Jaden. You're a hero."

I started to cry again; I didn't mean to, but hearing him talking about how she could have choked and how seizures can be worse, and…and it was just a lot to think about all at once.

Mr. Edward reached over and hugged me. "It's okay, buddy. Everything is fine. You're probably really overwhelmed right now. Would you like to go lie down with Miss Bella?"

I nodded.

"I think she'd like that. Could you keep her company for me while Miss Alice and I clean up?"

"Yes."

"Great. Let's go." He smiled at me before turning around and offering me his back. I climbed up and held on tight as we bounced off toward the bedroom.

Miss Bella was still pale in the dim room, but she had some colour in her cheeks again. She didn't look so dead anymore. Mr. Edward set me down beside her and pulled back the blankets so I could crawl in beside her. I snuggled in, resting my head on her chest, listening to her heart beating.

"Want me to put on the TV for a while?"

"Yes, please."

"Disney or Nickelodeon?"

"Disney, please."

He turned on the flat TV hanging on the wall. "I'll bring in your PJs in a bit. Do you need anything else?"

"A drink? My quilt, please?"

He smiled. "You got it. I'll be right back."

Mr. Edward came back a few minutes later with a juice box, the quilt, my stuffed beaver, and my blue Spongebob PJs, just like I had asked. I crawled out of bed and changed quickly. It was early to go to bed, but Miss Bella needed me, so I made an exception.

I would do anything for her. Even go to bed early.

* * *

**Has everyone survived? Should I be giving out tissues AND blood sugar metres?**

** I have some recs for you this week...**

**_ Seeing Bella _by sherryola (An amazing fic that will probably challenge any misconceptions you have about the visually impaired)  
_Elementary Education_ by Nikita2009 (It's under Nik's penname but it's a collab piece she's doing with AliceSweetCheeks)  
And Minnakoda's entries for The Twilight 25 (which you can find on her author's page)**

**AND Please keep your eyes open for my entry in Breath of Twilight's _Countdown to Valentine's Day_. I've written an Emmett O/S for all you Emmett fans. :)**


	26. Chapter 24

**I know a lot of you are getting your pitchforks ready to come after me after that last chapter. Please understand that everything, even the angst, has a purpose in this story. Have faith in me. Please?**

**Thanks as always to Minna and Kathie for the diligent and unwavering work they contribute to this story. I love you guys.**

**Have tissues nearby, just in case...but just so you know, it probably won't be sad tears...at least I hope not.**

* * *

_**Edward**_

Hearing Jaden's panicked voice on the other end of the line nearly put me into cardiac arrest. I pulled over and handed the phone to Alice before turning around to head back to the house. The cranberry juice would have to wait.

It was hard listening to Alice talking him through it, but I knew that Alice understood better than even I did what had to be done when Bella had a seizure. I prayed that it wasn't a bad one as I listened to her speaking to him. She put the phone on speaker so I could hear him singing to her and talking quietly. He handled it like a pro.

Bella was okay. When I put her in bed, she awoke for a moment and said that aside from being exhausted and having a headache, she was more concerned about how Jaden was doing. I assured her that he was okay and that I'd bring him in after he had eaten something.

After getting him sorted out, I left him to watch over her while I cleaned up, made a couple of calls and helped Alice get settled for the night.

I called my father right away, explaining what I knew and asked if he thought I should bring Bella to the ER. He asked typical questions, which I answered to the best of my ability. He said that it sounded as if she would be okay, but to keep a close eye on her, waking her every couple of hours in case she had sustained a concussion. He suggested that I take her in tomorrow if she seemed out of sorts.

Then I called Mom, who was over at Emmett's awaiting their return. She was obviously upset, but relieved to know that both Bella and Jaden were okay.

"She'll be upset about this," she mused.

"Yeah, Mom, she will. One of her biggest fears was having a seizure around our child. He may not be our child, but it's going to make her question our choice to go ahead and try to get pregnant."

"I'm sure this is just a tiny blip on the radar and it's just a side effect of the switch in her meds. You guys will get this sorted out."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Call if you need me to come over."

I sighed. "We're okay. It'll be an early night here, I think. Alice has gone to bed to read for a while because her feet are swelling up, and Jaden is curled up in bed with Bella."

"How's Jaden handling this? Being uprooted and then witnessing Bella's seizure?"

I scrubbed my free hand through my hair. "I don't know who this kid is, but he's like some sort of…of…I don't know, old soul or something? He's lost his family, he almost died, he's moved in with near-strangers and now this. He's, well, he's handled this better than most adults would. He's upset, he's cried a couple of times, but he's so worried about her being okay that he's put his own fears aside. He's in bed with her now. I'm in awe of his strength and compassion—it's freakishly odd for a seven year old to be able to function like that, isn't it?"

Mom chuckled. "I seem to recall a very empathetic little redheaded boy who used to get like that around a clumsy little brown-haired girl."

I was glad that she couldn't see me as I blushed hotly at her words.

"I think that Jaden feels a special connection with Bella. They've both lost so much; they can identify with one another. You'll probably find that he'll be bextra clingy now because he'll be afraid of losing her. You two need to sit down and explain seizures to him, reinforce what he needs to do if it happens again, and make him understand just how important it is that he got her through this one."

"He's…he's amazing, Mom."

Her smile was loud as bombs over the phone. "Yes, sweetie, he is. We are _all_ so very blessed, aren't we?"

I had to agree. "We are. Can you please let Em know what happened and tell him we've got everything under control? I'll call him if Jaden needs him."

"Okay, sweetie."

"How's Rose?"

Mom sighed sadly. "Our sweet Rosalie is dealing with some pretty daunting issues, so is Jasper, but all in all, I think they're going to be okay. I think just talking about things has lightened the load and Amanda is going to be a great help."

I flopped onto the couch. "Will this ever end, Mom? Will any of us ever catch a break? It just seems like when it rains it pours. We need a break or we're all going to drown."

Mom's voice softened. "I know, Edward, but it can't rain all the time. Let's do this one day at a time, okay? I have to go, but you call if you need me. Give my love to the others and I'll see you tomorrow. I love you, my sweet boy."

"Love you too, Mom."

"Get some sleep."

"I will."

I ended the call and checked on Alice, who wasn't in her room. The bathroom door was open, so she wasn't in there, nor was she in with Bella and Jaden. I started to panic until I noticed movement in the backyard. I spotted Alice's white bathrobe through the darkness as she swayed back and forth on one of the swings. Making my way out, I noticed that it was a little chilly.

"Hi," she said, looking up at me, eyes red and puffy.

"Hi. Want to come inside? It's damp out here. I'll make some tea, dig out some cookies. I don't want to be too far away in case someone needs me."

Alice nodded and stood up unsteadily. When I reached over to balance her, she linked our arms and smiled. "Thanks.

"Anytime. So, what kind of tea would you like? Irina has gotten Bella hooked on the stuff and I think another new shipment came in."

"Ooh! Please tell me there's some Blue Eyes left. That's my favourite."

I gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "Mine too, but don't tell the boys; they'll never let me live it down."

She giggled and wobbled a little. "I won't tell if you won't tell Em that Jazzy has raspberry tea with breakfast most mornings."

We both laughed as we walked into the house. I guided her to the couch while I went to boil the water and found some cookies. When I returned, Alice was thumbing through a magazine and looking a lot better. I presented her with a mug, a honey pot, and a plate of vanilla wafers. She immediately put in a healthy amount of sweetner into her tea then held the mug under her nose.

"Mm…" she hummed as she inhaled the vapours. "Exactly what I needed."

We sat in quiet contemplation for quite a while as we sipped at our fruity-tasting tea. I was worrying about Bella and wondering when I should go check on her, and I'm sure Alice was worrying about her husband.

I watched almost jealously as she rubbed her swollen belly. My staring must have been more intense than I thought because she soon asked if I wanted to touch.

I wasn't sure. Part of me desperately wanted to recapture the wondrous feeling of a child moving beneath my hands, but another part felt a little resentful that it wasn't Bella's belly, it wasn't our baby.

Banishing the latter part, I grinned sheepishly as I moved closer. "Please?"

Her head bobbed up and down as she lifted up her shirt. I placed my tea on the coffee table before reaching over to touch her warm, swollen abdomen. Her skin was soft beneath my fingers and she used her hands to guide mine around until they were in position.

"Your left hand is on her butt, I think, and your right should be on her head. Of course I could be completely wrong on this, but just the same…Oh! Would you mind singing to her? She'll likely move around a bit more if you do."

I began singing quietly and the only song that popped into my head was _Sur le pont d'Avignon_. Where that came from, I have no clue. It wasn't long before I felt her moving. I was more overwhelmed than I thought I would be and found myself burying my face into her shoulder and sobbing. While the fingers of one of Alice's tiny hands ran through my hair, the other rubbed my back soothingly.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I know this has to be hard on you. I didn't mean to push it."

She let me cry on her shoulder for a while. Eventually I stopped, but remained in her arms. "I'm sorry, Alice, it _is_ hard, but I don't want you to think that I begrudge you this. I can't wait to meet her and watch you three grow into the amazing family that I know you'll be. I can't wait to impart fatherly wisdom to Jazz and watch him deal with poopy diapers and leaky breasts."

She squeaked indignantly, making me chuckle. "I remember the first time Bella's breasts leaked. We were home alone with Emma and we thought that something had exploded or was broken. No one had really thought to explain about that particular part of motherhood.

"We knew Dad was working, so we bundled up Emma and went to the hospital. I'll never forget the moment when the concern on his face when he saw us arrive at the hospital in hysterics shifted to laughter when he realized what was going on."

We were both laughing loudly, tears streaming down our faces, until we finally calmed down.

"I'm scared, Alice."

"What for?"

"I'm scared she's going to change her mind, that this seizure will convince her that she shouldn't have kids, that…"

"Shh…stop, Edward. There's no point in worrying over it now—it's a non-issue until she says otherwise. So, are you guys actively trying again?"

I blushed. "Um, yeah, but you knew that already, didn't you?" I knew that Bella had likely told her best friends what was going on.

"Yeah, and for what it's worth, I don't think this will deter her. I think that until Dr. King or Dr. Vedder tell her otherwise, she's in this for the long haul. Now, stop your fretting. You waste too much precious time in the _what-if_, Edward. Stop it. You'll have an ulcer or a nervous breakdown before you know it. Just live in the _now_."

"Thanks, Alice."

She kissed the top of my unruly head. "Anytime. Now, I need to piss like a racehorse, so could you help me up?"

I got up and helped her to her feet. We hugged briefly before she shuffled off rather quickly toward the bathroom.

This seemed like a great opportunity to check on Bella. She was propped up on some pillows stroking Fred with one hand, while the other ran gently through Jaden's hair. I watched her quietly from the door until she noticed me. She smiled a little and motioned for me to join them.

I walked over and got up on the bed beside her, leaning in for a kiss. "How're you feeling?"

She rested her head on my shoulder and took my hand in hers. Fred, disgusted at the loss of his massage, huffed and moved over to settle closer to Jaden.

"I'm okay. It wasn't a bad one. I guess we're back to square one, though. Maybe Dr. King needs to tweak my meds a little more."

"How's your head. You hit it pretty hard."

Reaching back to touch it, she winced slightly. "There's a pretty big goose egg back there, but I think I'll live. I just feel so bad that he," she looked down sadly at the little boy sprawled across her chest, "had to be here alone when it happened. Is he okay?"

"Yup, he's just worried about you. Alice and I explained it to him and hopefully he understands. His biggest concern was that you were going to _sleep like Lily_," I said, using air quotes.

"God," she exhaled loudly, "I can only imagine what was going through his head. Can we put this poor kid through anything more? Isn't it bad enough that he's already been through so much with what happened to his parents? I can't imagine what he's thinking half the time; we're a pretty messed up group of people."

"Miss Bella?" Jaden croaked out sleepily.

"Sorry, sweetie, we didn't mean to wake you. Are you okay?"

"Mm-hm. Are _you_ okay?" he asked, nuzzling in closer to her.

"I'm okay, sweetie. Thank you for being so brave and calm and smart. How did you know to call Mr. Edward?"

"You asked me to call him, and I saw a show on TV that showed how to call the last number that called a phone, and I knew that he had called. I was going to call 911, but I thought maybe I should call Mr. Edward first because he would know what to do."

"You're my hero, you know that?" she said before placing a kiss atop his head.

"Mm…no, I'm your family, and that's what we do, right? We take care of each other. I'm just glad that you're okay. I'm gonna go back to sleep now. I love you. You too, Mr. Edward."

"Good night, little buddy. We love you too," I replied.

And we did. We do. We all owed him so much and he would likely never understand why or how.

Amazing, isn't it, how miracles can come in small, brown-haired blue-eyed packages.

The next morning I got up earlier than the others to make breakfast. Alice wasn't long in waddling out when the smell of bacon permeated the house. Jaden was next, but Bella didn't follow. As soon as I made sure nothing would catch fire and had Alice and Jaden making smoothies, I went to check on her.

"Bella?" I asked quietly as I entered the dark room. There was no answer. "Bella, love? I'm turning on the light."

Still no answer. Panic-laced bile burned my throat as I turned on the light. As soon as the room was illuminated, I breathed a sigh of relief; she wasn't in bed. I heard rustling around in the bathroom and went to investigate. "Love?"

"In here, Edward," she called out quietly.

I found Bella standing in front of the mirror, staring at herself. "I don't look good."

Her statement floored me. This was such a strange thing for her to say. "What do you mean? You look amazing."

I watched as her mouth turned down into a frown. "I'm too skinny."

All preconceived notions I had about women and body image were suddenly shattered. How often did a man hear those words fall from the mouth of their beloved?

"I am, aren't I?" she asked, breaking me out of my internal musing.

I stood behind her, embracing her from behind. "Would you be upset if I said that I liked a little more meat on your bones?" I ran my hands over her hip bones which poked out a bit, up her torso where I could count almost every rib, to her prominent collar bones.

"No, I wouldn't be upset. I just can't eat the way I used to. I need to put on some weight in case I, er, _we_ get pregnant. Baby's going to need some cushioning."

"We can work on that. Maybe add protein to your smoothies to help build up some bulk?"

Bella contemplated my suggestion then smiled sweetly. "I'd like that."

"So, you ready for breakfast? It's all ready to go, unless Alice ate it all."

"Oh my God, I forgot that Alice was even coming! How incredibly rude of me!"

She turned to walk away, but stumbled a little.

"Whoa," I said, grabbing onto her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, just a little off-balance today. Honestly, Edward, I'm okay. If it weren't for the bump on my head, I'd never know I'd even had a seizure."

"Are you sure? Should we call Dr. King and see if he can see us or at least hook us up with one of the on-call neurologists?"

"Let me fully wake up and eat before we start talking about trips to the hospital. I'm famished—I missed out on supper last night."

"I saved you some," I said, smiling as I gave her a kiss. "Come on, let's get you fed, then we need to talk to Emmett about what's going on. I'm sure Jaden would like to know when he's going home."

We were greeted with bright smiles and ketchup-covered mouths. Jaden hopped off his stool, running over to hug Bella.

"Bella! You're okay!"

She hugged him back, smiling. "Yup, thanks to you. Did you guys save me any breakfast? I feel like I could eat a horse?"

Taking her hand in his, he led her to one of the remaining stools and pulled it out for her. "We saved lots. Edward's breakfast was really good, so it was hard not to eat it all, right, Alice?"

Wait. Did he just call us all by our first names? "What did you call me?"

He looked at me, confused. "Edward? That's your name, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I hope you don't mind, but I've decided to just use your names from now on."

"No, no, that's great. What changed your mind? What's different now?"

He moved back to his seat and took a sip of his juice. "Me and Bella had a talk yesterday and something…well…I guess I realized something."

Alice wiped some ketchup off his cheek. "What's that, sweetie?"

"Mommy always said that I should call my elders by _Miss, Mister, or Missus_ to show respect, and so I did, but then something Bella said yesterday made me realize that I didn't have to call my family by those names, and since you're all…" he looked down at his plate, blushing a little before looking back up, "…since you're all my family now, I thought, well, would it be okay with you if I just called you by your names? I don't want to be disrespectful because I love you and would never want to upset you.

"I mean," he continued rambling nervously, "I still respect you _tons_ but it almost seems a little silly to always call you Mister and Miss…"

Wow, I'd like to know what had been said to make him have such a deep epiphany. It's a lot for a little guy to deal with.

Bella hugged him again. "You call us whatever makes you most comfortable."

"It still feels a little weird, but I'm trying. Now, has anyone heard from Emmett or Miss…er, Rosie?"

Did this kid go from seven to seventeen overnight? I shook my head. "Not yet. We'll give them a call when breakfast is over and we're all out of our PJs."

The kitchen door burst open at that moment, scaring the shit out of all of us.

"Good morning, kiddies," Em bellowed, grinning from ear-to-ear. "How's everyone doing?"

Once again, Jaden hopped down and ran. He flung himself at Em, squealing gleefully. "Emmett!"

Em looked at us, confused as he picked up the little boy. "Hey, buddy, how was your sleepover?"

"It was good. I got to play with Fred, we watched a movie, and I helped Bella when she fell down."

"I heard. We're all so proud of you; you handled it better than most grownups would."

Jaden wrapped his arms around Emmett's thick neck and snuggled into him, sighing happily. "I missed you and Rosie. Is she still feeling sad?"

Emmett rubbed his back, smiling gently. "Yes, a little, but she's feeling much better now. She misses you something terrible and can't wait to see you."

"Can I come home today? Not that I'm having a bad time here, I'm just ready to go home. Edward, Bella, and Alice are awesome, but I miss my room and my toys."

"We can go home when you finish breakfast, get dressed, and wash the ketchup off your face."

I watched Jaden perk up. "Really?"

My brother nodded as he carried him to his stool. "Eat up, buddy."

"I'm on it."

We watched as Jaden tore into his food, then ran off to get changed. As soon as he was out of the room, Emmett looked at us. "So, uh, when did he drop the formalities? What brought that on?"

"Ask him. He'll explain it better than we can," Bella replied as she took a bite of her quiche.

_**Emmett**_

Jaden was all smiles and giggles when he climbed into the Jeep, regaling me with tales of his adventures at Bella and Edward's house. Most stories revolved around Fred, though, which was funny. Maybe we should get him a cat?

"Hey, buddy?"

"Yeah, Emmett?"

How was I going to ask this question without making him feel weird? "Um, when did you drop the _Mister_?"

"Oh, that? You're not mad, are you? You said before that I didn't need to, and I tried really hard to stop, but I still did it because…well…it felt weird not to until last night."

"What happened last night?" I looked back at him through the rearview mirror. He was looking out at the road, lost in thought.

"Well, you see, Bella and me had a talk and she said something that made me look at everyone with different eyes—not that my eyes have changed, I just decided something."

"What's that?"

"You're my family and you don't call your family _mister_ or _miss, _or even _missus_." He looked up at me and smiled at my reflection. "It's okay if I call you my family, right?"

Shit, I was going to lose it in front of him. After the emotional day we had yesterday and last night, I was feeling pretty fucking raw. "It would make me the happiest man on the planet if you called us your family, buddy."

"Okay, good, because that's what we are. If I can't have my first family, I don't want to belong to any other one than yours. I want to belong to you and Rosie. Can I do that?"

Fuck me, I couldn't stop the tears and we were going to end up in the ditch at this rate. "Yeah, buddy, you can belong to us and hopefully someday soon we'll have the papers that make you one of us legally. Would you…would you want that?"

"Want what? I don't know what you mean?" The poor kid looked really confused.

"Would you like it if Rosie and I adopted you? We would be like your substitute mom and dad, since they can't be here to do it."

He was quiet for a moment, then he whispered barely loud enough for me to hear. "You'd be my daddy?"

"Kind of. You wouldn't have to call us mommy or daddy if you didn't want to. That would be up to you. If we adopted you then no one could take you away from us and, well, we would be a family."

"Forever?" he whispered again.

"Yeah."

"I would be your little boy?"

"Yup."

"Wow."

"Just think about it. It likely won't be happening soon, but we've started the process. I hope you're okay with that."

"Who wants to take me away?"

Oh crap. "Well, since you don't _officially_ belong to us, there's a chance one of your other family members might decide that they want you to live with them…"

"NO! I don't want to go!" he yelled, as he began to cry.

I pulled over just a block from our house to talk to him. The poor kid was freaking out. Getting out of the Jeep, I immediately opened his door and unsnapped his seatbelt and he quickly tumbled into my arms.

"I don't want to leave you. Please don't let anyone take me. I belong to you. I want to be your little boy. I love you and Rosie and Alice and Jasper and Edward and Esme and Doc Carlisle, and Fred."

"What about Bella?"

"I love her a lot. She's special to me."

I smiled. "She's special to me too."

"Please," he pleaded, tears streaming down his face, "adopt me. Make me yours. I don't want to lose anyone else."

I squeezed the shit out of the kid. "We're doing our best, little buddy. Mr. Jenks is doing everything he can to speed things up. We all love you, Jaden, and we won't let you go if we can help it."

He pulled back, his face streaked with tears. "Promise?"

"I'll do my very best, buddy."

"Let's go home. I need to hug my Rosie."

We pulled into the yard and he was out of the Jeep and running to the house before I could even get out. I let him go ahead, holding back to grab his bag and compose myself. When I turned back to the house he was standing by the door.

"It's unlocked, buddy. Go ahead."

"I want to go see Rosie as a family." He held his hand out to me. "Let's go, Emmett."

I took his hand, allowing him to lead me into the house. Rosie called out from the kitchen, letting us know where she was. Jaden tugged harder at me, urging me to speed up. When we entered, he pulled me to her side, where he made us all join hands.

"What's going on?" Rosie asked, confused.

"I'm making us an official family, Rosie. You, me and Emmett—we belong together. Forever, right, Emmett?"

I nodded, my throat getting tight. Rosie sniffled beside me and when I looked at her, she was smiling wetly at Jaden.

"Really?" she asked.

"Absolutely positively."

Rosie crumpled to the floor, pulling him down with her. "I'll never let you go, Jaden, I'll hold onto you for as long as I can. We _do_ belong together. You're our missing piece."

"Don't be sad, please," he said, wiping away her tears.

"I'm not sad, sweetie, I'm very happy."

Jaden exhaled loudly. "Okay, good. I never know around here—you guys cry a lot. Happy, sad, angry—sometimes it's hard to tell."

We both laughed and he rolled his eyes. "Grownups."

Then he got serious, looking Rosie in the eye. "I know I'm not supposed to know why I was sleeping over at Bella and Edward's, but I figured out that there was something wrong. Bella wouldn't say what, and I guess that doesn't matter, right? What matters is that you're okay. So, are you okay?"

_**Rosalie**_

Okay, who was this kid and what happened to Jaden? He wasn't calling me Miss Rosie anymore; hell, he had dropped all of the formalities. And he was being all…I don't know…grown up?

He was waiting for me to answer him. Was I okay? Hm…how to answer this?

"Yes, sweetie, I'm feeling a lot better."

Small hands moved up to push my hair away from my face. "Are you sure?"

I rested my forehead on his and kissed his nose. "Yup. I'm far from perfect, but today I'm feeling perfectly fine."

He giggled. "You're silly. So, do you want to talk about it?"

Oh my freaking god, where does this kid come up with this shit? I chuckled a little as I pulled him onto my lap. Emmett joined us on the floor, likely understanding there is strength in numbers and we would need it for this potentially hard conversation. Amanda had told me to be as open with Jaden as possible, without giving too many details, of course.

"You know how upset I was when Mama Hale was here?"

He nodded very seriously as he wrapped some of my hair around his fingers. "Meany McNasty Mama Hale. Yup, I remember."

"Well, Mama said some very hurtful things to me and Jasper; stuff that made us both feel sad. Well, sometimes if you let the sad get too big, it hurts and my sad was _waaay_ too big. I needed to go talk to someone about it, to help me feel better."

"Did you go see Dr. Scott? Did you do drawings?"

"Nope, I talked to a nice lady named Amanda and we just talked, and talking about it made me start to feel a bit better. You see, I want to be the best Rosie I can for you and Emmett, so I need to make the sads less painful."

He nodded sagely. "I understand, Rosie. I do. I know that I need to talk about my sads too, but I'm scared," he said, hiding his face in my neck. "Weren't you scared?"

I rocked us back and forth very gently. "Yes, baby, I was terrified, but I needed to be brave for you and for Emmett. I want our…our…"

"Family?"

"Yes, sweetie, I want our _family_ to be strong and healthy, so I need to fix me. It's hard and there will be days when it feels almost too hard, but because I love you two so much, I'm going to make it work."

He increased his grip on me. "You're very brave, Rosie."

I smiled as I rested my cheek atop his head. "I'm trying, buddy, I'm trying."

We sat on the floor for a while, listening to him recap his night with Bella and Edward until Em got up to make lunch. We'd been down on that tiled floor for a while, and I had lost track of time, especially when he talked about Bella's seizure.

"It was awful," he started, eyes wide and fearful, "I heard a big thud and then nothing, so I ran in and she was on the floor. Her eyes were open and she wasn't moving."

I remembered having moments like that myself with Bella over the years. To be honest, it never got easier. Sure, we were better trained, but I'm sorry, I never got over the shock of seeing her like that. I was just thankful that it hadn't been a grand mal—I think the shaking, seizing, foaming at the mouth might have been too much for the poor little guy to handle.

"Bella said that I was her hero, but I said no, that she is my family, and that's what we do. We care for each other. And that's when I realized I needed to stop calling you Miss."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're my family."

I was stunned again by hearing him utter those words. _You're my family_. Those three little words held so much promise, hope, healing, and love.

"Yes, yes you are sweetie. You are my family."

"So," Emmett said from above us, "does my family want some lunch or what?"

Jaden grinned brightly. "Sure do! I'm faaaaaaamished!"

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***ducks to avoid the projectiles***

**I hope that was a little better...emotional, yes, but not horribly sad, right? Oh, well, there was that part with Edward, and then...man, why do you guys read my stuff? I am seriously turning into Debbie Downer. ;)**

**Don't forget to read the Countdown to Valentine's Day being put on by Breath-of-Twilight. My Emmett O/S should be coming up soon. There have been some incredible O/S submitted this time around, so you're really missing out if you haven't been reading along.**

**Until next week, unless the flu reduces me to a puddle of goo on the floor like it's trying to.**


	27. Chapter 25

**For those feeling like Alice and Jasper have been too quiet, this is an all A/J chapter. Lemony A/J at that.**

**Tissues might be a good idea? Hell, I never know. I guess the best rule of thumb when reading this story is to keep tissues near.**

**This chapter is brought to you by the letters M and K (a.k.a. the wonderful ladies Minnakoda and Katmom) and also the techies at The Source, who finally fixed and returned my laptop. My baby is home! Hooray!**

**Twilight isn't mine, but a new huge New Moon canvas print is. Dayum, with all these oversized sexy Edwards on my wall, it's no wonder I can't get any work done.**

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_**Jasper**_

I was exhausted.

I was spent.

I was…I was confused.

I was sad.

I was angry.

I was…

"Jasper! I think that glass is clean!"

I was completely zoned out.

Alice snapped me out of my fog and I realized that I must have been washing the same glass for the past few minutes. "Sorry, darlin', I got a lot on my mind."

I set down the glass and allowed Alice to escort me to the sofa.

"Sit," she said.

I sat.

"Talk to me, Jasper. Please, I can't bear to see you like this. You're like a zombie and I'm worried about you."

My hand moved up to run through my hair reflexively as I gathered my thoughts, which were scattered willy-nilly in my head. I couldn't find the words to string together to explain it all.

"Jasper?"

I exhaled loudly, leaning back and resting my head on the top of the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. Maybe the stucco would give me the answers I sought.

"Baby, please," Alice pleaded, "you're always so good at dealing with everyone else's emotions; maybe it's time that you start to sort out your own? You're really scaring me." She moved a little closer and tipped my chin up so I was looking at her. Her big eyes implored me to unburden myself, but I…I just couldn't.

"I…I don't know how, Alice. I've been trying to find the words to explain it, but I can't find them."

"You _need_ to find them, Jasper, or you'll never find any peace."

"I know," I said, sighing, "I know, I know, I know! God, don't you think I wish I could just spit it out and get rid of it?" I was beginning to shout and lost the ability to care. The anger that had been building up was finally surfacing.

"I'm so incredibly fucked up about this, Alice. Normally I could process this mess and move on, but I can't let this go! I can't make sense of it! It does not compute! Syntax error and all that shit. I don't know what to do. I'm a hot mess."

Alice took my hand and placed it on her belly where I felt our daughter kicking. "Jasper, _we_ need you. You need to sort this out so we'll _all_ be okay. I hate to use the baby as a weapon of sorts, but she deserves to know her daddy—the same daddy I fell in love with. So, talk to me, Jazzy, please. Just start talking, it doesn't have to have a rhyme or reason, just get it out."

I moved my head so it was in Alice's lap and my cheek was against her belly. "Alice, I…we…she…" I stuttered, unable to isolate the words I needed. "She never loved us. She wanted us dead. She didn't want us."

Alice ran her fingers through my hair. "She's evil, we all knew that."

"It's one thing to think that your mother doesn't love you, it's another to hear her say it aloud."

"True."

"She said it without flinching, without any emotion whatsoever."

Alice's fingers gently caressed my cheek. "I'm not surprised. With that much Botox in her face I'm shocked that she can move it at all."

Her remark caught me off-guard, inciting a misplaced chuckle to bubble forth. "Hey now, I'm trying to pour out my guts here. Cracking jokes isn't going to help the process."

"I beg to differ, and I was also being dead serious. How does she speak without it cracking?"

Oh my gods, only Alice would be able do this, well, maybe Emmett too. I began to laugh loudly, my head shaking in her lap until the laughter turned into sobbing.

"How can a parent do that? How can they be so cold? Especially to Rosie? Poor Rosie had been so broken and no one ever knew. All she ever wanted was for someone to love her, make her feel special. She tried so hard to be perfect, hoping Mama would pay attention to her. It was all for naught. It never mattered. _We_ never mattered unless it was beneficial to Mama. I feel so used. I feel disgusted and my heart is hurting so bad for Rosie."

Alice remained quiet, gently running her hands through my hair as I fell apart, only pausing her ministrations to wipe away her own tears. I continued to cry as I poured out my soul; the missing words were suddenly found and they were flowing heavily from my mouth.

It wasn't until Alice gasped that I realized I had told her about Rosie being gang raped. The tears ran faster down her alabaster cheeks, falling down onto my face, mixing with my own.

"My poor, poor Rosie," she whimpered.

"I don't think I was supposed to say anything about that; please don't say anything to her," I scrambled as I sat up. I couldn't believe I had betrayed my twin's deepest darkest secret like that.

My wife moved closer so I could hold her. She cried softly against my chest as I continued. I mean, she knew the secret, I might as well tell her why she had been shipped off to Bella and Edward's. I explained it all to her, then told her that I had an appointment to speak with someone about it all.

"I don't want our angel to be born into this mess."

"I'm proud of you," she whispered, "I'm so incredibly proud of my sexy-as-fuck, sensitive, intuitive, marvelous husband."

I sighed loudly. "I'm trying, darlin'. I need to get my head screwed on straight before Monday. Kids pick up on this shit pretty quickly and I don't need the added stress."

"No, you don't. When's school out for the summer?"

"Three weeks, and then they've asked me to teach summer school over at the middle school if I want the hours."

I had dreaded telling her and my fears were realized when she tensed up in my arms.

"But…the baby…you're not going to be here to help me?"

"Darlin', the schools are both aware that I may have to leave for a bit when Sunny comes, but the reality of the situation is that we aren't in any financial position to turn this down. Babies cost money. We have doctors' bills that need to be paid already, not to mention the hospital fees when she's actually born.

"If I take the summer school gig, they're willing to give me health benefits, which will include you and," I reached down and rubbed her bump, "our daughter. As much as it will kill me to be away from you, I'm doing it for you, for her, for us. Besides, it's only half days. And—"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Do I want to know?"

I gave her a tickle and an Eskimo kiss. "Yes, you do—the elementary school has offered me a job in the fall. I'm going to be taking one of the other second grade classes."

Her eyes grew huge. "Really? Full-time? Not subbing? No working in the trenches as the new-teacher-in-town? But…didn't your professors tell you something like this is rare for new grads?"

"Yup, but someone was smiling on us, darlin'. I'll be Mr. Hale full-time, full benefits, sick leave, the works."

The air was knocked out of my lungs when she flung her arms around me. "Why didn't you tell me? How long have you known?"

"Just a couple of days. I almost forgot about it, what with all the chaos Mama left in her wake."

We both sat there, smiling at each other. Things were falling into place. Slowly, we were finding a leg to stand on, and even though I was an emotional basket case, I was feeling pretty solid.

"I kind of have news too," Alice said quietly. "I think you'll be happy. I was contacted by a local theatre who asked me to help out with getting their costumes designed for their summer season."

"Really? But the baby?" How could she work when she was so close to her due date?

"It's just for the next couple of weeks. I'm helping out in the costume and set dressing departments. One of my professors recommended me and it's too good to pass up. It's the work experience I need to get my resume padded up. It'll be long hours some days, but I won't be doing any heavy lifting or hard manual labour. I'm there mostly as a design consultant, and to do some costume-making."

Alice had a degree in design and business management. She had always intended to create her own fashion line, but had been bitten by the theatre bug after volunteering with her class. She loved working on period pieces more than anything and we had spent many hours poring over her designs and cross-checking them to be sure they were accurate. We used to do that a lot when we worked at the porn store, sometimes asking clients for help picking out fabric swatches or whether or not they felt the costumes were believable.

"That's amazing, darlin', as long as they understand that you're pregnant, anemic, and that they shouldn't overwork you."

Another eye roll as she lifted her shirt. "As if they won't notice the beach ball under my shirt. I know my limits. I won't push it.

"You'd better not," I growled as I laid her back on the sofa so I could kiss her. "Nobody hurts my girls."

Alice gasped as my hand grazed her tender breast, arching into me. "Mm, Jasper."

I nipped at her earlobe as my hand rested on her breast, not too hard, not too soft, just enough to make her crazy. "I love you, Alice."

Her mouth took mine in a frenzied rush, our teeth clashing as she reached down to cup me. "Jazz, I need it."

Before I could object, not that I would have, Alice pushed me up and off of her as she tried to sit up. The baby bump got in her way and as horrible as it was, I laughed at her—not out loud, but to myself. She looked like an overturned turtle.

"A little help?" I asked, suppressing my laughter.

"I am so unsexy!" she wailed, flopping back onto the sofa, covering her eyes. "I don't know how you endure me. I'm a hideous monster."

"Are you crying?" I lifted her arms above her head and sure enough, she was crying. "What is it, darlin'? Why the tears?"

"Because I'm ugly! I can't see over my stomach! I'm like a beached whale!"

While Alice had made a few little digs at her changing body, she had never reacted like this before. In fact, she had been mostly celebrating the changes, marveling at how amazing a woman's body is to produce life and how it changes to meet the needs of the baby.

"Darlin', what's wrong? Why are you feeling like this? Did I say something to upset you?"

I wiped at the tears on her cheeks which were flushed pink from crying, before helping her up. I picked her up in my arms and carried her over to the wicker bowl chair, where I set her down gently. I held up a finger, asking her to stay put. As soon as she nodded her head, I sprinted to the kitchen to grab some bottled water and a cupcake.

Running back out, I handed her the water and set the cupcake down on her belly, grinning at her as I climbed in beside her.

"This using my belly as a table thing isn't helping my flagging self-esteem, baby," she said, pouting as she took the cupcake into her hand.

I pulled her over so she was leaning back on me, sitting between my legs. "But it's the perfect place to set my sweets for my sweet."

"Hmph."

"Darlin', you could weigh a ton and it wouldn't change how I feel about you. You are sexy for so many reasons and although your body may be one of them, it's not the most important one."

I unwrapped the cupcake, holding it to her mouth. At first she shook her head, but I knew I could make her cave. Time to bring in the big guns. I broke off a piece and brought it up to my nose. "Mm, dark chocolate."

I made a point of inhaling its delectable aroma loudly. "Mm, Esme really outdid herself this time. Just take a tiny taste, please?"

Alice shook her head. "No," she growled. "Too fat."

"Not too fat, too perfect. You've not got an ounce of fat on your body. You are building a baby, Alice, _our_ baby."

I felt her sigh. "I know."

"My girl needs to keep up her strength for _our_ girl."

Warm lips opened to envelop my fingers in moist heat as she finally ate the piece of cupcake, moaning as she did so. My cock jerked as the sound vibrated straight to my groin.

"Another," she pushed, wriggling against me.

"Of course, my love." I broke off another piece of chocolate goodness, feeding it to her as I kissed her neck.

"Would you really love me if I weighed a ton?"

"Mm-hm," I murmured as I nuzzled her neck, nosing around behind her ear. "Always."

"If I weighed two tons?"

"More of you to love, darlin'."

And I would. I would love Alice if she was the world's heaviest or lightest person. If she were nothing more than a head on a stumpy torso, I would still worship her. "You own my heart and soul, darlin', and the vows I made to you are unbreakable."

"Okay, then." She took the cupcake from my hand and smeared it all over her face as she ate it. "Can you love me when I'm covered in chocolate like a two year old?"

I tilted her head back and kissed her full, pouty, chocolaty lips. "Mm, oh yeah. Then you taste like dessert."

Our kissing heated up and I could feel chocolate being smeared on my face, but I couldn't find it in me to care. Alice was forceful, taking charge, eventually shifting so we were facing each other. After some heavy petting, panting and puffing, she finally pulled away.

"Over the couch."

"What's over the couch?" I gasped, gulping in some much needed air, and reaching down to adjust myself. I found my jeans had suddenly become a little on the tight side in the groinal area.

"Take me…over the couch. Can't do it here," she wheezed. "Belly in the way."

As soon as it dawned on me what she wanted, I jumped up and helped her out of the bowl, kissing her as we backed over to the couch. When we reached our destination, we both tore off our pants, too urgent to bother with our shirts.

"Hurry!" she pleaded breathily as she rested her hands on the back of the couch.

"You don't have to tell me twice, darlin'." I palmed my cock, lubing up in her wetness. "Damn, Alice," I hissed.

"Hurry," she repeated more urgently this time as she ground back against me.

I complied, sliding in and rocking myself in and out immediately, setting a pretty fast pace.

"Harder," she panted, looking back at me.

Who was I to object or question it? I gave her harder, faster, slower with a few twists, and a couple of clit flicks, just as she directed me to. We fucked up against the couch for what felt like an eternity and yet not long enough. I finally exploded after Alice let go with a string of sailor-grade profanities.

"Gah," she mumbled as her legs gave out. I quickly supported her weight so she wouldn't fall, and to give myself a moment to breathe. The past hour had been nothing but a whirlwind of emotions, and frankly, that orgasm left me reeling.

After a couple of minutes, I figured she was probably uncomfortable. "Come on, darlin'," I said softly as I pulled out and picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom. "Time for sleep. You've had enough for today."

Her eyes drifted closed as she mumbled a slurred _I love you_.

"Ditto, darlin', ditto times a million."

_**Alice**_

I woke before Jasper did because, well, I had to pee a lot and there's no baby kicking him in the bladder 24/7. It took a second to unwrap myself from his kung fu grip, but once I was freed, I waddled quickly to the bathroom.

Over my pregnancy I've discovered a few things: first, there is no greater relief than emptying a ridiculously full bladder. Second, cankles are not to be mocked. Third, pregnant Alice is a lot hornier than non-prego Alice and that's a very scary thing. Fourth, I'm an emo bitch when I'm knocked up. Fifth, I've decided that my mission in life is to make pregnancy clothes that are cute in a sexy way and comfortable for petite women such as myself; and by petite, I mean tiny.

I examined my body in the mirror, turning in circles so I could see myself from all angles, and tried to come to terms with the changes. I didn't hate my pregnant bump, really, that was just the hormones talking last night. Most days I loved looking at my bump, knowing that _our_ baby was in there. I guess I was just having an off day.

Hell, we were having an off month. Jasper's emotions were all over the place and I was absorbing them like a sponge. He's normally so contained, but lately he's been a different person. His smile is empty and his eyes go from vacant to intense and then back to vacant.

Jasper has always been quiet, but his silence was never heavy, his muteness lately had been an incredible weight to bear. Whenever I tried to address it, he would dismiss it, make an excuse and move on. I knew that his mother, and I use that term very loosely, had done something, said something to close him off, but he had never allowed her to get to him so deeply in the past.

I slammed my fist down on the vanity in anger as I thought about what she'd said to them—her children—and how damaged they both were over it. How her lack of love and compassion ultimately drove Rosalie to be in a position where she was violated.

"Sunny, I promise that I'll always love you and make sure you know that you are loved," I said, as I lovingly rubbed my belly. I had to smile when she gave me a kick.

"You'll be here in less than a month. I can't wait to meet you."

"I can't wait either," Jasper said groggily as he entered the bathroom. He kissed my cheek, resting his hands over our child. "Morning, my girls. Did you sleep okay?"

I leaned back into his embrace and tilted my head to kiss his jaw. "Yeah, until _someone_ decided it was time to use my bladder as a speed bag. How about you?"

I watched his lazy smile in the mirror. "Better than I have in the past couple of weeks."

"You look better, baby; your smile is back." And it was, and it was about to charm the panties off of me. His smile was intoxicating and alluring and sexy as hell.

And it was _mine_.

"I love you, husband."

His grin grew to epic proportions. "I love you more, wife. God, I love hearing you call me _husband_."

I grinned back at him in the mirror. "And I can't wait to call you daddy."

"Man, I still can't believe I'm going to be a father."

"Believe it, baby. Oh, that reminds me, I have an appointment with Dr. Butler this week. On Wednesday, I think. Bella offered to go with me since it's during work hours. Esme also offered to come."

He growled into my neck. "You tell me when and where and I'll be there. I'll get a sub. I've missed out on too many of your appointments as it is. I want to be there."

Goosebumps pebbled my skin as his words vibrated through me. "Mm, okay. Keep up this possessive caveman bit and you'll have to take me right here."

Oh. I felt him rising to the occasion behind me as his hands began roaming my body. "I think that could be arranged, darlin'."

"Let the games begin," I said, lifting my shirt up over my head.

"Hallelujah," he muttered as he cupped my bare breasts in his hands.

I watched his ministrations in the large mirror, fascinated by how my pregnant body responded to his touch; how my areolae darkened even further as he worked them.

"Whoa," he said, stopping, holding up his left hand. "I think you've sprung a leak, Alice."

Damn it. Oh well. "It's just colostrum. Keep going," I urged, punctuating my point by grinding back into him.

He paused before resuming, then as he moved his hands down he muttered to me, "I hope you don't mind if I don't suck on your tits."

I have to admit I was a little offended at first, but his fingers quickly flicked away those thoughts against my clit as his focus switched to my nethers.

It wasn't long before I lost my focus and my mind in front of the bathroom mirror.

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**Sorry to those of you who don't enjoy the lemons, whether it's because Alice is leaky and pregnant or because it's not your cup o' tea. Thanks for reading anyway. You know I love you more than writing lemons.**

**My O/S for the Countdown to Valentine's Day will be posted on my profile at some point soon. In the meantime, why not go over and read it on Breath-of-Twilight's Countdown?**

**I'm also writing something for the Fandoms Fight the Floods. Please donate-it's a good cause.**

**There's another Fandom Fights...fundraiser coming up that's very dear to my heart; Fandom Fights Mental Illness. As more details come to light, I'll be posting them.**

**Until next week...**


	28. Chapter 26

**Tissues may be required for this angsty chapter. Please take heart that although it may start off angsty, it ends on a happier note.**

**Big thank yous to Minna and the speedy Katmom.**

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**_Jaden_**

Me and Dr. Scott were sitting in his office together; I was drawing and he was talking. He was asking questions and stuff like usual, but then he asked me to draw what I think happens when someone dies.

At first I was scared by his question, but then I remembered about what Rosie had said the week before about being brave and facing the hard questions and bad thoughts to get better. So I started to draw and when I finished, I held it up.

He smiled at me. "Looks good, Jaden. Let me take a closer look." He rubbed his chin as he looked at it. "Is that Heaven?"

I nodded.

He pointed to the bottom of the page. "Is this area here, with the fire, Hell?"

I nodded again.

"And what's in between?"

I hadn't really put much in between because I didn't quite understand where Mommy and Daddy's bodies had gone. In Sunday school, the times that we went before Casey died, they always said that the soul leaves the body and either goes up to Heaven if you were good, or to Hell if you were bad. I knew that bodies went into the ground, because Casey was put in the ground. Mommy and I went to see him a lot and took flowers to the cemetery.

Wait…where was my Mommy? I had never been to the place where her body was. Was she beside Casey? Where was Daddy?

"Jaden, are you okay?"

"No."

The word came out before I realized I had spoken out loud. I didn't talk to Dr. Scott. EVER. He had never ever heard my outside voice.

"What's troubling you?"

Ah heck, I might as well ask him. There was no way I could draw my way out of this, and I needed answers. "Where's my mommy?"

Dr. Scott crinkled his blonde eyebrows at me. "Your mommy died, Jaden."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I _know_ that. I was _there_. I want to know where she is. I want to see her."

"I'm confused. Can you explain what you mean?"

I huffed, annoyed. "I'm not really talking to you, okay? Please don't think that I'm going to talk after today, because I probably won't."

He held up his hands. "I won't presume anything. You can speak on your own terms, and if you choose to use your words today, then great. If you choose not to next week, then that's fine."

"Thank you. What I mean is: where is Mommy's body? We used to go visit Casey's body in the cemetery and take him flowers and talk to him. He didn't talk back with words, but Mommy said that he could speak to us in our hearts and in the song of the birds and the breeze that blows in our hair.

"I want to go see Mommy and take flowers to her."

He smiled at me, but it wasn't a very happy smile. "Who brought you today?" he asked.

"Emmett did. He's taking me to see Peter and Lily when we finish."

"Would you mind if I asked him to come in? He might be able to answer your question better than I could."

"Sure."

Dr. Scott got up and left the room for a minute, coming back in with Emmett this time.

"Hi, buddy. Want to come sit with me for a minute?"

I walked over to the couch and sat beside him.

"Dr. Scott said that you had a question to ask me."

"Yes. I want to know where Mommy and Daddy are. I want to go see my mommy."

"Well," he started, "since there was nobody in your family to…well, take care of things…"

"Things?"

He sighed. "This is hard to explain in a way that won't scare or upset you. I don't know how to say it, buddy." He looked at Dr. Scott. "Doc? A little help?"

Dr. Scott looked at him with his serious face. "Tell him the truth, Emmett. Jaden, sometimes the answers to our questions aren't always going to make sense or make us happy. Please keep that in mind."

"Thank you, Dr. Scott." I looked at Emmett. "The truth please. I'm almost eight—I can handle it."

"When the police were finished with their investigation and there was no one to claim the bodies…they were cremated," he explained nervously.

"I don't know that word, cremated. What does it mean to be cremated?"

"C'mere," Emmett said, patting his lap. "I'll explain what it means."

I climbed onto his lap and stared at him until he began to speak again. "Cremation is when they…it's when…wait, before I tell you, you know that when someone dies that their soul leaves the body, right? That their body is, well, it's empty. They're not really there anymore and they can no longer feel pain, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, when a body is cremated, it's…it's turned into ashes."

"How?"

I could tell that his answer was going to upset me just by the look on his face and the fact that he pulled me closer to him.

"They are put in a special sort of…furnace. They are…burned."

"WHAT?" I yelled, pulling away. "They burned my mommy and daddy? In a fire? No! That's not true! That's awful! Why? Why would they burn my mommy? She was so pretty. Now she's ashes? That's not right! It doesn't make sense. I don't understand."

I ran across the room and crawled under a table. I needed to be alone to think about this. People don't burn people when they die; they put them in boxes and put the boxes in the ground, right? I mean, how could they do that? It just didn't make sense.

"Jaden? Buddy? Are you okay?"

"No."

The thought of mommy being burned made me sad and angry and confused, but mostly, I was sad. I started to cry as I hid under the table. "She was a good person, Emmett, why would someone want to burn her? Wasn't Daddy shooting her bad enough? She deserved better than that. I don't want my mommy to be ashes."

I sobbed really hard until I got sick on the carpet under the table, then I cried harder because I got sick, and then I thought about everything and puked again. Emmett picked up the table and moved it until I was out in the open. He picked me up and carried me back to the couch where he tried to clean me up. Dr. Scott gave me some water to drink when the sobs stopped and I was just having the hiccups.

"I know it's a lot to take in, buddy, but you wanted the truth."

I nodded. I had wanted the truth, but I hadn't thought it would be like this.

"We have the ashes," he said softly, "we have them at the house. We didn't know what to do with them and thought someday we'd ask you what you wanted to do with them."

"Mommy and Daddy have been at the house all this time?" That was both strange and scary at the same time.

He nodded. "My mom bought some really nice urns to put the ashes in."

"What's an urn? It's not a pee pot, is it? It sounds like some place you would pee, because urine is another word for pee, right?"

Emmett laughed a little bit. "No, buddy, it's an urn, not urine. An urn is like a fancy vase."

"Oh." It would have to be a pretty big vase if it would hold all the ashes from a grown up. I wondered where they had been keeping them. Maybe in the attic? In the pool house?

Then I started to think about Mommy's pretty brown hair being all burned up and I started to cry again.

"I'm so sorry, buddy. We were so busy caring for you that we never even thought about burying your parents. I don't even think there was a funeral."

Mommy had always said that funerals were a celebration of someone's life, and no one had celebrated hers. That thought made me even sadder than I had been before.

Emmett hugged me tightly. "We can have a funeral if you want. We can bury their urns or we can scatter their ashes someplace special if you want."

"I…I don't know." And I didn't. I was so confused. "I can't talk about it anymore. I want to go see Lily, please."

"Okay. You've done awesome today. It's a lot to take in for a little guy."

"Thanks."

Dr. Scott opened the door for us. "Thank you, Jaden. You did really well today."

I turned around to say something. "Yeah, well remember what I said—I'm not really talking."

He smiled at me. "I understand, and believe me, you said a mouthful today. Thank you for trusting me."

"Yup. Let's go."

Emmett and I walked through the hospital until we reached Lily's room. I ran in and stopped. Lily wasn't in her bed and none of her stuff was there. "Where's Lily?" I asked, panicking. My heart was going faster than a train. "She's not…she didn't die, did she?"

"Jaden? Emmett?" A familiar voice called out from the door.

"Miss Maria!" I cried out, running into her arms.

"Hi, sweetie. How's my favourite little guy?"

"Where's Lily?" I asked as I held onto her, almost afraid of her answer.

"Lily's no longer with us," she said smiling at us. I didn't understand…how could she be happy that Lily was gone?

Emmett asked the question I was too afraid to ask. "Did she die?"

Miss Maria laughed. "Goodness, no! I guess Peter hasn't had time to call and tell you. They moved Lily to the rehab centre. A bed opened up and since she's not a critical care patient anymore, they decided to move her over this morning. They are better equipped for her needs now—she needs more stimulation than we're able to provide."

"That's awesome!" Emmett said. "Do you know which wing she's in?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure they'll gladly help you out if you call over. In the meantime, I'm just happy to see my boy. How are you doing?"

"I'm a little sad, Miss Maria. I had some awful news today."

She pulled me over to a chair and sat with me. "Want to tell me about it?"

"Um, I'll let you two talk while I try to track down Lily and Peter. Mind if I use the phone at your desk, Maria?"

"Go ahead, Emmett. Tell Annie I said it was okay, and to give you the number for the rehab."

As soon as he left, she looked at me and smiled a little. "So, what's going on?"

"They burned my mommy's body, Miss Maria," I whispered as I played with her hands. "They burned Daddy too. I don't understand why they would do that to her—she didn't do anything wrong. Daddy, on the other hand, he did something bad so I can understand why they would want to burn him."

"Oh, sweetie, they don't cremate bodies as punishment. Sometimes they do it because there's not room to bury a body or because the person who died asked them to do it. Some people don't like to think of their earthly body being buried. Some people, like my grandpa, wanted to be cremated so we could scatter his ashes on the river where he loved to go fishing."

"So it's not a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily, sweetie." She rubbed my back and kissed my head. "Do you know what they're going to do with the ashes?"

"Emmett said that I could do whatever I want and I think I have an idea. I just need to think about it a little more when it doesn't make my stomach feel sick."

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it again sometime, you let me know, okay?"

I nodded. "Thank you, Miss Maria."

"So, other than that, you're doing okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Miss Maria looked at me and I knew I would have to do some explaining. "What do you mean by _I guess_?"

"I love my new house and my new family. I'm really lucky, you know. I have everything a kid like me could want and I'm happy most of the time. It's just lately everyone has been so sad or mad because of Mama Hale and sometimes I worry that maybe having a little boy with as many problems as I have is making them madder or sadder. I'm trying hard to be extra good, but I'm scared they're going to give me back, you know, send me away."

"Do you really believe that?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I think I'm most scared that they are going to take me away."

"Who is _they_?"

"Whoever it is who takes the unadopted kids away from their families because they don't have papers."

Miss Maria rubbed my cheek as she smiled again. "I'm pretty sure that no one will want to take you away from your new family; it's too good of a fit. They would be crazy to do that."

I trusted Miss Maria—she never lied to me, even when I was in the hospital and had to get a needle or an operation. She always told me ahead of time exactly what would be happening. So really, I had no reason to not believe her. "Okay, if you say so."

"I know things have been rough lately, but they will get better, I promise."

I snuggled into her arms and sighed. "Thanks, Miss Maria. I miss you."

"Mm, sweetie, I miss you too."

"Maybe you can come for dinner some time, when things aren't so crazy."

"I think that's a great idea," Emmett said as he came back in. "You'll have to come over for a BBQ."

"That sounds really nice." She turned to look back at me. "Are you okay now?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I know a couple of things that will cheer you up—I know where to find Lily now, _and_, I ran into Dr. Singh who said that if we hurry, we can run down to orthopedics and maybe get that cast taken off today. But we gotta run now."

"Really? Let's go!" I gave Miss Maria a kiss on the cheek, hopped down and grabbed Emmett's hand. "Come on!"

"Bye, Jaden! Take care."

"Love you, Miss Maria!"

Although it was rude to run out like that, I _really_ wanted to get that stupid cast off. Emmett must have wanted it gone too, because he picked me up and ran us all the way to the ortho…portho…the bone lab. Dr. Singh was just leaving when we got there.

"Hi, Jaden! How're you doing?" he asked, smiling that big white toothy smile of his.

"I'm doing great. Can I get my cast off now?"

He laughed. "It must be getting itchy, isn't it? I've told the x-ray techs to do a couple of quick x-rays to be sure the bones have healed properly and that the plate is still in a good position. If it's okay, they will take out the longer pins after they remove the cast and then fit you with a brace to wear for a bit." He looked at Emmett. "I've left a referral for an occupational therapist with the technician. He could use a little help with his recovery, I think."

"Let's get this done, puhleeeeeze, Emmett." I begged, tugging on his hand.

Dr. Singh laughed before he messed up my hair. "Go ahead, you two. I'll see you next week for your check-up."

"Come on!" I begged again.

"Alright there, Mr. Antsy Pants. We're going."

_**Emmett**_

Man, that's one tough kid. After the x-rays showed that he'd healed well enough to come out of the cast, he begged the ortho specialist to get the cast off, and didn't flinch once as the loud saw buzzed so near him. I had to keep my eyes closed—I know those saws don't cut skin, but just the same, I've always wondered how they can be sharp enough to cut plaster and fiberglass but not lop off an arm.

Poor kid did shed a few silent tears when they pulled out the pins. It looked painful as hell, but he never uttered a peep. He did, however, squeeze the hell out of my hand. Kid may be little, but he's strong.

"So, Jaden, your arm is going to be weak and sore for a while. How does it feel now?"

He held his arm up, bracing it with his other hand, and flexed his fingers, then tried to bend his wrist before he gasped. "Mm…it's weird, and yeah, it does hurt. Why does it look so white and pruny? Will it always look like that?"

The tech guy chuckled. "Nope, it's just like that because it's been all cooped up and sweaty. It'll start to look better in a few days. Let me put some band aids on the pin holes so we can fit you for a brace. Did you want a black or blue one?"

Jaden thought about it for a minute. "I think I'd like black this time, please."

"Okay, come with me and we'll get you sorted out. Would you like to have a drink while we're waiting?"

He nodded. "Yes, please. I'm drier than the Sarah."

I tried hard not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. "Did you mean that you are drier than the Sahara?"

"Oh yeah," he said absently as he picked out a cup of apple juice from the small fridge.

"I'm going to give you some Tylenol to take for the pain. Can you swallow a small pill with your juice, or do you want to take the syrup?"

"Pill, please. I'm a big kid."

"Boy, Jaden," the techie said as he passed a pill to Jaden, "you have been the easiest kid I've had in here all day. I wish all the kids with broken bones were as cool as you."

Jaden popped the pill in his mouth, chased it with the apple juice then opened his mouth wide, saying aaah when he was done.

"High five to the cool kid!" the tech said, raising his hand. "Now, let's get finished up so you can leave."

Half an hour later, Jaden had a new black brace and a huge smile on his face. Oh, and a huge smiley face sticker stuck on his cheek and an extra one in hand for Lily.

"Can we please go see Lily now?"

I looked at my watch. "Hm, we might have time for a very quick visit."

"Aw man," he protested, frowning.

"We can see what her new schedule will be like and plan a longer visit for tomorrow if you want. You kind of got gypped today."

"Yeah, I totally did."

He was being pouty and needed to cheer up before we got there. "Was it worth getting your cast off?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"We'll talk to Peter, buddy. We'll sort something out."

We were quiet as we walked across to the rehab facility. My mind wandered to Bella's time here, how hard it had been for her, and how she lashed out at me in frustration. I knew that she didn't mean it, but it still hurt. There were many nights spent in tears but it wasn't just because of Bella. It was because I was still dealing with the overwhelming sense of loss and sadness from losing so many loved ones and almost losing Bella. It was during those solitary hours at the hotel that it all had a chance to truly crash down on me.

It was in those moments of utmost despair that I ended up in the hotel bar or a nearby club seeking the company of women and booze. I didn't drink heavily, just enough to numb everything. The women filled the hours but not the void.

"Emmett?"

"Hm?"

"Where do we go?"

I stopped and realized that we'd reached the rehab facility. "Oh," I looked at the yellow post-it note Annie had given to me. "Come on, buddy, follow me."

Peter greeted us warmly when we reached Lily's new room. "I'm glad you found us; I totally forgot to call to let you know. Come on in."

Jaden forged ahead until he saw that there was a stranger in the room. He turned around and ran back behind my leg. "Who is that?" he whispered.

Peter knelt down beside him. "That's Luc. He is a physiotherapist who is helping Lily with her exercises. You can go over, he's really nice and I know that Lily will be happy to see you. Oh, hey! You got your cast off!"

Jaden held up his arm. "Yeah, just a few minutes ago. Cool, huh?"

"It sure is. Go on over, Emmett and I will just be over here talking."

The little guy squared his shoulders and walked over to the bed where Luc was manipulating Lily's atrophied legs.

"Hey there," Luc said with a slight French accent when Jaden joined him.

"Hi, I'm here to see my friend."

"That's awesome. My name is Luc."

Jaden waved at him. "I'm Jaden." He turned to Lily. "Hi, Lily. I like your new room, but it's too white. You need pictures. I'll bring some tomorrow. I brought you a sticker, today."

I watched as he climbed up and sat beside her on the bed, taking her hand in his, placing the sticker on the top. "You awake, Lil?"

There was nothing that could have prepared me for the response he received. Lily turned her head toward him. We both gasped. Peter sighed mirthfully.

"Amazing, isn't it? She started a couple of days ago. Actually, it was the last time you guys were here. When Jaden was shouting goodbye as he walked out the door, she turned toward the sound of his voice."

"Wow, she's really making some headway, isn't she. I really didn't think she would be moved over so fast. They're great here, though." I looked over and saw that Luc was showing Jaden how to stretch Lily's arms and legs.

"Look, Emmett, I'm a jizziotherapist! I'm going to help Luc."

"Awesome, buddy. Don't be too rough on her, though. She's not a toy."

Jaden gently set down her arm and frowned. "Hmph, I may be a kid, but I'm not stupid. I know my best friend is not a toy."

I held up my hands in surrender. "Sorry, dude. I'll leave you to your work."

Peter was trying really hard not to crack up, but failed miserably. "Come on, Em, let's go grab a coffee."

"What about Jaden?"

Luc looked over and smiled. "He's fine here with us. She's not as tense now as she was before he showed up. Besides, he's a great assistant. Right, dude?" the young blonde man put out a fist to Jaden, who bumped him back.

"Yeah, I'm a good assistant. You go."

"If you say so. We'll see you in a bit. Be good and listen to Luc."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he resumed his work. He was very serious as he lifted her arm, gently bent her elbow, then brought it back down.

"Good job, Lily," I heard him say. "You'll be good as new in no time. Let's do it again."

Peter and I made our way down the familiar corridors to the small cafeteria where we grabbed drinks, muffins and found an empty table.

"So, how are you, Peter?"

"Well, as I mentioned before, Lily is really coming along and I'm optimistic that-"

"Stop! I didn't ask about Lily, I asked about _you_."

"Oh. Um, well…" he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "I guess I'm okay."

"Just okay?"

He exhaled loudly. "I don't have much time to think about me and I think it's probably better that way My mind wanders off to bad places when it's not busy."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Been there, done that, buddy."

"How did you deal with it?"

It was my turn to exhale. "You don't want to know. It wasn't the most constructive ways of dealing with everything."

Peter stretched out in his chair and groaned. "This shit is making me old, Emmett. I'm only thirty-two and I feel like I'm seventy."

"You need a break, dude. Why don't you come for a barbecue sometime, just the boys? We can chuck on a few steaks, pound back a couple of beers…"

Peter let out a sound akin to Homer Simpson's trademark gurgling drooling noise. "I haven't had a beer in so long. But—"

"But nothing!"

"Who will stay with Lily?"

"We'll find someone to stay with her until bedtime and she'll be fine. You aren't still sleeping at the hospital are you?"

He shook his head. "The nurses at the hospital convinced me a while back that I needed to go home at night for my own sanity. So, who could we get to sit with her?"

"I bet Bella and Jaden would gladly do it. I'll talk to her tonight and see what she says. So, if I can make this happen, are you in?"

Peter paused, then smiled. "I'd like that a lot, Em. I don't really know anyone in Seattle. I had to move here from Olympia after the accident; I couldn't handle the commute, and there was no way that I could afford two apartments. I'm renting a two bedroom place not far from here, and because I'm always here, I've not made many friends outside of the hospital. I could use some man time."

I knew my face lit up at that moment because I had a gazillion ideas floating around in my head. "Peter, dude, I have the ultimate games room slash man cave. We are _so_ doing this."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Emmett. I really appreciate it." He looked away for a second and tried to wipe his eyes inconspicuously, but I saw it. "You have no idea how alone I feel," he said softly.

"I do, buddy, trust me, I do. Have no fear; Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen is here."

The laugh that came out of this normally quiet and soft-spoken guy made several people in the cafeteria turn to stare at us and I couldn't help but grin.

"You're a nut job, Emmett Cullen."

I shrugged. "Yeah, but I embrace it."

"Thank God for that."

* * *

**So, what are your thoughts on things? I love hearing your theories, hopes, etc. **

**I'll be brief, my ceiling is leaking and about to break and I'm waiting for the plumber and I'm supposed to be going to see a movie in a few minutes...TwilightMomofTo rec'ed this amazing fic that seems to have fallen under the radar. It's short, but incredible. It's so intense that you can't help but feel what Bella and Edward are. I fell in love with it after the first chapter and was sad when it ended. **

**What's the damn title, you ask? _Love is but a Memory_ and the amazing author is Domysticated.**

**See y'all next week! Oh, and thank you so much! _Around the Bend _has hit over 800 reviews!**

**Don't forget to donate to Fandoms Fight the Flood.**


	29. Chapter 27

**Thursday already? Wow, time flies.**

**As always, I need to thank the swift and awesome beta skills of Minna and Katmom. Two very busy women who always seem to make time for me and my angsty nonsense.**

**I don't own Twilight. I just own a lot of Twilight stuff.**

**You may need a tissue for this one...**

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_**Rosalie**_

"More tea, Esme?"

"Please, sweetie. That would be lovely."

When my shaking hand caused the tea to splash into Esme's cup, she reached over to gently steady me so I wouldn't spill any more.

"Thanks."

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to, you know."

I sighed. "I do, I really do. They are my best friends, hell, they are so much more than that, Esme, they're my sisters. I need to tell them. They're all so worried about me that it's not fair to keep it from them any longer."

Taking my hand in hers, she smiled sadly. "If you are sure, then by all means, I think it might be helpful. I'll be here, honey, if you need me."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

The door opened and I flinched reflexively as I heard the girls enter the hall. Esme squeezed my hand reassuringly and I stood to greet them as they entered the kitchen. The second I saw them, I burst into tears. Of course they ran to me, embracing me and whispering gentle affirmations.

"I'm okay, guys. Thanks. Come, sit. I have tea and Esme made some incredible dark chocolate cupcakes. Alice?" I stopped and watched as her face turned flame red. "Are you okay? You're looking really flushed."

She giggled as she gingerly lowered herself into her seat. "No, I'm okay."

Alice doesn't often blush and I knew it could only mean one thing—something not so innocent had happened with a cupcake. "Oh, lord, Alice, I'm not going to ask," I said, snickering as I moved to sit beside her, pulling Bella down onto the seat to my immediate right.

After everyone had tea and something to nibble on, I cleared my throat and began telling them about the day with Mama, about what she had said, how she had said it, and how we reacted to it. Bella sniffled beside me, taking my hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

"Oh, Rosie, I knew she was a monster, but really? That's just…"

"Evil," Alice finished angrily. "That woman didn't deserve to have kids as amazing as you and Jasper."

After some heated and creative Mama-bashing, I continued the task of explaining what happened with Mama and my recent breakdown. By the end, we were all in tears.

"Rosie, I'm so sorry," Bella sniffled, "I can't even begin to imagine…my god, you're so strong."

"I don't know about that, Bells, but I'm feeling a bit better now that it's out in the open. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a long time."

"So, you really pushed it so far back that you forgot about it? That blows my mind," Alice said, wiping at an errant tear on her cheek. "It must have been a horrible shock when it hit you."

I sighed as I poured myself more tea, wishing it was a tumbler of scotch. "It didn't really hit me until the following day and when it did, man, I'm glad Em wasn't around to see it. I scared myself. If he'd seen me, he would have run for the hills. I'm surprised he still wants me."

My shoulders drooped at the thought of Emmett realizing that I was just too broke, too dirty to love. Before I knew it, the girls had wrapped themselves around me in a tight embrace.

"No, Rosie, he would never do that. Please don't ever doubt Em's love for you," Bella whispered. "He would never leave you over something like that. If he could stick by me through all the crap I went through after the accident, he can help you through this. It's what he does."

"I know that, but there's still this voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me that he's going to bolt, that I'm not good enough for him."

"Stupid Mama Hale," Alice mumbled. "I wish I could have just one shot at that bitch. I'd shatter that frozen face of hers and then when I was done dancing on it, I'd kick her in her desiccated old cooter."

Bella snickered. "That's two shots, Ali."

Alice smiled evilly as she placed her hands on her baby bump. "Don't forget I'm hitting for two."

Well, that did it. We all exploded in gales of laughter, talking between hoots about the many ways we'd like to go after Mama. It was Esme, though, who shocked us all.

"I'd give her a nasty titty twister before shoving her head in a vat of butter. Does that woman ever eat or is she afraid it will crack her face?"

There was dead silence until Esme shrugged. "What? Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing."

"A…" Bella giggled and snorted, "a…titty twister? How…?"

"Isabella Marie Swan, have you not forgotten who my eldest son is? I know all about titty twisters, purple nurples, swirlies, wedgies, donkey punches…"

"STOP!" Alice screamed, choking on her laughter. "Enough! I can't handle any more!"

Esme flashed us a devious smile. "I could go on for days."

"Please, for the love of all things holy, don't," Alice begged.

We all laughed again and fell into each other like a bunch of silly schoolgirls.

"Thanks, guys," I finally said, wiping the tears from my face and fixing my hair. "I needed that."

"What are friends for?" Bella said softly from beside me. "We're here for you, Rose."

"Oh!" Alice chirped from my other side. "Guess Sunny's here for you too, or at least trying to be here for you. I swear to gods she's going to pop right out of me like those creepy aliens in that movie."

"Aliens?" I asked.

"No, that other one. Anyway, while we're on the topic of Sunny, I wanted to ask if you guys wanted to help put the nursery to rights. There's still a fair amount of work to be done and truth be told, I'm too exhausted these days to do it on my own, especially since I'll be starting work this week too. Esme and I made some headway the other day, but there's still so much that needs to be done."

I got up and grabbed a pen and paper. Knowing Alice, there would be a long list that none of us would have the brain capacity to recall perfectly. As she rattled things off, I came to realize that I knew nothing about babies and getting ready for babies and it was hard not to get overwhelmed by it all. Stuff needed to be painted with certain paints and you had to take color and shape into consideration because babies need stimulation, but not too much, and certain things work better than others and…my head was spinning.

Thankfully, Esme was spearheading the project and Bella knew what she was doing, because Alice and I were kind of lost.

We discussed the best plan of action to take with regards to the furniture and putting it together. We agreed that we'd let the boys start and then we'd swoop in afterwards to fix their mistakes, because everyone knows that it's really a woman's thing, and we needed to stroke their egos first.

After breaking the list into smaller ones and doing some creative delegating, we broke up into teams to take care of what needed to be done. Bella and I headed out to deal with the shopping while Alice and Esme went to the house to assess the situation. Poor Alice was chomping at the bit to go shopping, but her swollen feet were telling her that it wasn't the best idea. We promised to take her the following day to start her registry so people would know what to buy for the shower we were planning on throwing in a couple of weeks. That seemed to placate her—a little.

Bella and I had a lot of fun oohing and aahing over the tiny clothes and accessories, making note of a few present ideas. This baby would not be wanting for much when she was born, that's for sure. We were all going to spoil her rotten.

I watched Bella's hands shaking when she held up certain items. This had to be hard on her.

"You okay, Bells?"

She jumped a little, then set down the teddy bear she had been holding. "Yeah, Rosie, I think so. Um, can I tell you something in complete and utter confidence?"

"Of course. Want to go sit down? Grab a latte?"

She smiled a little as she nodded her head. "Yes, please."

We paid for our purchases and moved on to the nearest coffee shop where we both ordered Chai lattes. I noticed that Bella's hands continued to shake even after we had been seated. I reached over, taking her free hand in mine and squeezed. "What is it, Bells?"

"I'm…God, I'm terrible, Rose. I'm terrible and I'm conflicted."

"I figured as much. Want to tell me about it?"

"It just seems so maudlin and I hate to burden you with this, but I can't talk to anyone else about it."

"It's okay, sweets, I promise I won't breathe a word to anyone."

A big tear gathered in the corner of her eye. "I'm really happy for them, Rosie, I really am, but part of me is hurting so bad right now. I remember the time leading up to Emma's birth—the joy, the excitement, the fear, and then everything faded when she was born and was just an intense feeling of love, devotion and protection.

"There is no greater feeling than that of seeing your child for the first time and…and I'm just feeling almost…empty? Homesick? I can't pinpoint the exact feeling or emotion, I just know that it hurts and I'm trying really hard to hold it back. Alice would feel awful, and it's not her fault. I want her to feel all the wonderful things pregnancy and a newborn can bring and I want her to do so unfettered, not having to worry about my feelings. I've really been missing Emma lately; being around all this baby stuff has really brought back a lot of memories of when she was born. They were the happiest days of my life. I want them back. I want her back."

I swallowed the huge lump in my throat as Bella poured her guts out to me. "I wish I had the answer for you, Bells. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through."

Bella huffed indignantly. "See! I'm being selfish. Gah, my hormones are so out of whack. I'll be fine; I just needed to get it out of my system."

Hormones out of whack? "Bells, you aren't pregnant, are you?"

I watched as her eyes grew huge. "Pregnant? Me? No, not yet. I'm hormonal because I started PMSing the other day. This is the longest I've gone without having a Depo Provera shot since after Emma was born. Dr. Vedder warned me that this might happen."

"Oh, okay."

As we sat in silence, sipping our drinks, I could see that Bella was still conflicted. I took her hand again and gave it a squeeze. "Sweets, the things you are feeling are all valid and not just a result of a surge of estrogen and progesterone. Don't negate them. Have you talked to your therapist about it?"

Sad brown eyes looked up at me. "Yes, in passing."

"Maybe it's something you should address the next time you see her. If I can help at all, I will, but I'm not sure I'll have the answers you need. This therapy thing is all new to me. I…I never thought I'd need it."

"We never do, Rosie. It's always painted in such a dark light; it's so socially stigmatized as a sign of weakness that everyone is resistant to it. Myself included. I'm proud of you, Rosie."

"Why?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"For being brave. I already knew you were strong, but I had no idea just how tough you are."

I blushed. "Thanks, I guess."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I had to smile when I opened the message from my boys. It was a photo of them dressed up like pirates. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world," I said, sighing happily as I showed the photo to Bella.

Smiling, she squeezed my hand. "You most certainly are. Should we finish up here so you can get home to your scurvy men?"

I nodded. "Yes, please."

_**Emmett**_

Things have changed so much in the past couple of months, what with Jaden coming home, the wedding, graduation, and my Rosie's breakdown. Man, just thinking about it all was enough to make my head spin.

Thankfully, things had calmed down since Rosie started seeing Amanda three times a week. Alice had started working at the theatre, Bella had immersed herself in her thesis, Edward was working on something for school, Jasper was gearing up for all the end-of-year stuff and preparing lesson plans for his summer school classes, and Mom was cooking up a storm.

"I can't leave my babies without full freezers, can I? What kind of mother would I be?"

I just shook my head at her, giving in because I knew it was a battle I couldn't win.

As for Jaden, well, I'd like to say that things were perfect, but they weren't. He had his good days, but lately it seemed as if the bad days were coming more frequently. He was being defiant, sassy, disrespectful, and frankly, almost too much to handle. Dr. Scott met with us one afternoon and explained that this was all very natural and part of the grieving process, and that he was impressed that Jaden was behaving like this so soon.

It had been almost two weeks since we had the discussion about his mother's ashes and it almost seemed like it was the catalyst that triggered this new anger and hostility. Watching him go into meltdown mode was so incredibly heartbreaking, not to mention we had many days of silence from him.

The only time he seemed like himself was when he was with Lily. No matter what kind of mood he was in, he almost always cheered up when he was with her. So, that's why it was so hard to tell him that he couldn't go see her on a particularly bad day. He was being such a…god, strike me dead for saying this, but he was being a jerk. It started off with him refusing to eat breakfast, then escalated to a screaming jag, but I really lost it when he tried to slap Rosie.

"THAT'S IT!" I roared as I lost my cool. "I've had enough! Jaden, I understand that you are having a bad day, but that NEVER gives you the right to hit Rosie. Apologize to her, please."

"NO!" he screamed, stomping his foot. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

He took off before we could stop him, and it wasn't long before we heard a crashing noise upstairs. Mom, Rosie and I ran up as fast as we could, but not fast enough; Jaden was trashing his room.

I moved to stop him, but Rosie shook her head. "Let him go, he needs to do this."

"But…what if he gets hurt?" I mumbled as I watched him throwing his belongings around the room. How could such a little guy cause so much destruction?

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" he screamed, throwing a book against the wall. "It's not fair! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

I felt mom squeezing my arm. "He'll tire out soon."

More books went flying as he continued to rage. His screams went back and forth between being coherent and feral. "What about me? What's going to happen to me? How could you leave me?"

The screams turned to sobs as he picked up a framed photo of him and his parents. "Why, Daddy? Why did you do it? Why didn't you love me enough?"

God, my heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces. It was what he said next that destroyed me.

"Wh…why didn't you…why didn't you lo…love me enough to…to kill me too? It's not fair."

Rosie fell to her knees behind me, Mom groaned, and I ran over to Jaden, who was now curled up with the photo, rocking back and forth. As gently as I could, I got down on the floor and cradled him to me, rocking him back and forth as he sobbed pathetically, mumbling to himself.

A seven year old should never have to deal with something like this.

"I…I wanna…"

"What do you want, baby?" Rosie asked softly as she joined us on the floor. "What can we do?"

Barely lifting his head off my chest, he stared at her and said the last thing anyone would have expected him to say. "Kill me, please. Just let me go. Burn me and send me to Heaven with Mommy."

"Oh, baby, no. Please don't talk like that," Rose sobbed as she reached for him.

"I'm calling Dr. Scott," Mom whispered. I nodded as she left to make the call.

"Jaden, sweetie, why would you say that?" Rose continued as she rocked the little boy in an attempt to soothe them both.

His arms came up as he began hitting himself in the head. I gently restrained him, afraid the brace on his arm would really inflict some damage. "Because I'm tired. It hurts too much sometimes and I want it all to stop. I can't do it anymore. I'm too little and it's too big. Make it stop, please!" He was screaming again.

"Buddy, you need to calm down a little. Can you take some deep breaths for me?" I asked softly.

He shook his head, panicked as he tried to suck in some air. I moved closer and put one of his hands on my chest. "Try to breathe with me, okay? You don't want to get sick, do you?"

"N…n…n…"

"Sh, just follow Emmett, sweetie. We're not leaving you. We love you."

"W…w…why?"

I watched in awe as Rosie's eyes released more tears, then radiated love like I'd never seen before. "We love you because you are an amazing and very special gift. God must have seen the big hole in our hearts and knew that only the most special little boy could fill it.

"You lived for a reason, baby; you're here to help us heal and so in turn, we're here to help _you_ heal. It's going to be hard work, but we can do it together."

"It hurts s…so m…much," he whispered before he began to cry again. "Some days I f…feel too little t..t..to fight it. It's not like when my kidney hurts; I understand that pain. I don't…" he paused and took a couple of shuddering breaths, "I don't understand this pain. I…I…I don't like it. I d…don't kn…know what words to u…u…use for it, I get…"

"Frustrated?" I finished for him. He put his other hand on mine nodding.

"It's okay, that's normal."

"I need it to st…stop. I c…c…can't breathe sometimes."

"You went through something terrible, sweetie," Rosie said, rubbing his back, "and it hasn't been very long since it happened. It's going to take time. It's hard work, but I know you can get through it."

"Why?"

"Because you're Jaden and you are the strongest little boy we've ever met and more importantly because we'll be there every step of the way."

"P…p…promise?"

Rosie and I both held his hand. "Promise. We're family."

He was quiet for a moment as he tried to regulate his breathing, then he frowned sadly.

"I…I…I ruined m…m…my room."

"Don't worry, buddy, it's just stuff and stuff can be replaced."

The tears began again, so Rosie rocked him gently until his thumb made its way into his mouth and he fell asleep.

Mom returned, handing me the phone.

"Dr. Scott? We, uh, we need your help."

* * *

**I know, I know...this poor child has been through so much already...but he won't get better until he deals with it, all of it, and he's going to have moments when he's going to freak out. He's in good hands, though.**

**As always, I love to hear what you're thinking. Your love keeps me warm during these cold winter stretches.**

**Hmm...what can I pimp out this week...OH YEAH! I have three WIP stories that are fantastic and just happen to be written by friends of mine: **

**_Comfortable_ by Aidanmomma  
_Gonorrhea Always Ends with a HEA_ by SweetPoeticJustice  
_FAP_ by 107yearoldvirgin**

**Don't forget to support all of the many Fandom fundraisers. I currently have a O/S in the _Fandoms Fight the Floods_ and will have a O/S in the _Fandom Fights Mental Illness_ and _Fandom For Sexual Assault Awareness_, which are two causes very close to my heart. Stay tuned for more info or look them up on the Twitta ( FandomFightsMI and Fandom4SAA but take out the spaces).**


	30. Chapter 28

**I know some of you were concerned about Jaden after that last chapter, and frankly, I was too. We hear from him in this one, in fact, he's up first so I won't keep you.**

**I just need to thank the amazing beta prowess of Katmom and Minna, who got this baby back to me in record time.**

**You might need tisues for this one...**

_**Jaden**_

I had bad dreams again, only this time I don't think it was just a dream, I think something bad happened. Okay, I know something bad happened because my room was a mess when I woke up. I had a headache, my throat was sore, and Rosie was in bed with me.

When I tried to stretch, my body ached so bad that I groaned.

"Hey," she said quietly, rubbing my cheek gently. "Are you awake now?"

"Maybe?" Oh man, my voice sounded awful and my throat burned.

"Is your throat sore? Do you think you can handle some apple juice?"

"Yup, and yup." Juice sounded perfect and it felt really good going down my throat. "Thanks."

Rosie just smiled at me and ran her fingers through my hair. I sighed and relaxed; it felt soooo good.

"You okay?" she eventually asked me.

"I don't know. I don't remember what happened. How did my room get so messy?"

It was her turn to sigh, but it wasn't a good sigh, it was a bad one, so I knew it couldn't have been a good thing.

"What do you remember?"

I sipped on my juice box and tried to think back to what I last remembered.

"Eggs. I didn't want eggs for breakfast. I don't remember much after that. What happened? Was I bad? Did I have one of Bella's brain farts?"

"You were upset, but never bad."

Upset? Why would I get so upset over eggs? "I don't understand…I don't…" I started to panic because I couldn't make sense of this. My chest started to hurt and I knew I was breathing funny—too fast, and that just made it worse.

"Shh, sweetie, it's okay. You need to calm down. Dr. Scott is downstairs with Emmett and Esme. Is it okay if I call him up? He might be able to help you understand better."

I nodded. As much as I didn't want to talk to Dr. Scott, I was scared that the pain in my chest was going to crush me.

Rosie held me closer to her as she called Emmett and told him to send Dr. Scott up. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe more normal; breathing fast was making me dizzy.

"That's it, sweet boy; you're safe with us."

"Don't go," I whispered as I took some of her pretty hair in my fingers, wrapping it around them. It was golden, like Lily's hair…

LILY! I was supposed to go visit Lily! My heart beat faster and my breathing got too fast again.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"LILY!" I cried out, wriggling in her arms to get away. I needed to get to Lily; I promised I'd be there. I couldn't let her down.

"Whoa, little buddy," Emmett said, catching me before I fell off the bed. "Lily's fine."

"No…need…promised…" the words were getting lost in my lungs. I couldn't get them out, I couldn't breathe.

I felt Emmett's strong arms tighten around me, and heard voices talking but nothing made sense. I was dizzy and the dark was coming.

Sometimes the dark was better than the light.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Jaden?" Rosie whispered softly in my ear, tickling me.

"Mm."

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

"Mm…" my mouth felt all dry and cob-webby, my eyes were heavy, and my arms didn't want to move.

"Do you need a drink?"

"Mm-hm."

Cold juice filled my mouth and washed away the dusty feeling. I swallowed as much as I could and sighed happily.

"Better?"

"Yeah."

"Can you open those pretty eyes for me?"

I opened one eye very slowly and wished that I hadn't. "NO! NO! NO!" the words bubbled out of my mouth and I couldn't stop screaming.

"Sh, baby, what's wrong?"

"YOU PROMISED!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're giving me back! I'm sorry, I'll be good, I promise! Please don't leave me here; I don't want to live at the hospital."

I felt her arms wrapping around me. "You don't live at the hospital, baby, you live with me and Emmett. We love you. We're never giving you back."

"Why am I at the hospital? Am I dreaming?" Gah, I was so confused and scared that nothing was making sense.

"No, no, sweetie, you're here because you had a panic attack. Dr. Scott was worried about you, so we brought you here just to be safe."

"Why do I have a needle and wires?" I held up my hand that was taped to a board and stuck with an IV. There were sticky monitor things stuck to my chest too, and the monitor was beeping beside me.

"You were dehydrated and they wanted to give you some fluids. As soon as you're feeling better we can take you home, I promise."

Something brown and fuzzy brushed against my cheek and I couldn't help but gasp. "Ch…Chocolate?"

"Peter and Lily thought maybe you needed him right now."

"But…what if Lily needs him?"

"Emmett bought her a friend to keep her company because Chocolate really should be with you. She seemed to be really happy with her new friend."

"What is it?" I held Chocolate to my face and rubbed one of his antlers against my nose. It felt so good to have him back.

"A brown beaver. It's the same colour as Chocolate, and just as soft."

I smiled. "I think that sounds like a good friend for Lily. Can I please go and visit her?"

"Maybe later, sweetie. Dr. Scott is stopping by in a bit. You need to talk to him before we do anything."

The monitor beside me started beeping faster, so Rosie held me tighter and sang to me. I started singing along with her and the beeping slowed down. We were singing the theme from SpongeBob when I saw Dr. Scott coming in. The beeping got faster again.

"Shh, sweetie, it's okay. He just wants to help."

Dr. Scott pulled over a chair and sat down by the bed. "Hi, Jaden. Are you feeling any better?"

"I guess so."

"Can you find a word that describes how you are feeling?"

I shook my head.

"What if I show you the faces chart; do you think you could maybe point at the ones that best describe how you are feeling?"

The faces chart was one of my favourite things to do with Dr. Scott, besides drawing. His chart had a face for everything. My favourite was the stinky face; it was pretty funny.

He pulled it out of his backpack and unfolded it, spreading it out on the bed in front of us. "Can I go first?"

I nodded. Dr. Scott liked me to know how he was feeling. One day he was sad because his dog Jessie was sick. Another day he was laughing because of a joke someone had told him. Today he pointed at the concerned face, or as I liked to call it, the Edward face. "I'm concerned right now because you are having a hard time today and I'd like to help you feel better." Then he pointed to the silly one. "I'm feeling silly because Miss Maria told me a silly story."

He looked at Rosie. "Rosalie, would you like to give it a try?"

"Really? I'd love to!" She looked at the faces and tapped her finger on her chin as she thought it over. "Well, right now I'm," she pointed to the relieved face, "I'm relieved that Jaden is okay." Then, she pointed to the happy face. "I'm happy that Jaden is okay." It was the next one that shocked me.

"I'm scared."

"Why, Rosalie?" Dr. Scott asked.

Rosie took a deep breath. "I'm scared that we're going to lose Jaden. I'm scared that we are doing something wrong and he'll decide he doesn't want to live with us."

I hugged her. "No, I'm not leaving. I was scared too…I…I thought you wouldn't want me if I was sad or scared or upset."

"How were you feeling this morning before things got weird?" Dr. Scott asked.

The faces staring back at me on the chart started to get blurry. "A lot of them, I think."

"Start with the strongest ones, please."

I pointed to the angry face. "I was angry."

"Do you know why?"

"I had a bad dream and I woke up grumpy. Then when Emmett told me I couldn't visit Lily I was angry and," I pointed to the sad face, "I was really sad."

"Why?"

"Because I made a promise to her, and I didn't want her to think I had forgotten her."

Dr. Scott smiled. "Those are all very valid ways to feel, but you understand that hitting and screaming aren't always the best ways to get your point across, don't you? I know that sometimes it's hard to control it and those were a lot of heavy feelings to have all at once, but we need to find some tools to help you deal with those feelings.

"What about when you were in your bedroom? Do you remember what happened there?"

I barely heard him because all I could think about was what he said about hitting. "I hit someone?"

"Jaden?"

"Did I hit someone?"

Rosie gave me a squeeze. "No, but you tried."

"Who?"

I knew when she sighed that it was her. "Oh, Rosie, I'm so sorry! I'm just like _him_, I'm just like my daddy!"

The heart monitor started to beep fast again and I couldn't seem to breathe. I don't want to be like my daddy, not when he was angry. No one will love me if I'm like him.

_**Rosalie**_

The look of terror that crossed his face will forever be etched in my memory as will the sound of the heart monitor picking up a rapid pace as he panicked.

"No, baby, you're not. You were upset."

He tried pulling away from me, but I held fast. "So was he! He only hit us when he was upset! I don't want to be like him!"

"You aren't, Jaden," Dr. Scott quietly assured him, taking one of his hands. "You aren't like him, and I promise to show you ways to deal with your anger so you won't strike out at people when you're upset. We will give you the tools you need so it won't happen. Your daddy was sick and he didn't have the help that you have.

"Now, you said some things in your bedroom that I want to talk to you about. Do you remember what you said?"

"Not really." He pointed at the confused and frustrated faces. "I'm confused and flusterated."

I smiled. He had been doing so well that I almost forgot that I was holding a seven year old in my arms. _Flusterated._ Too cute.

"I'm going to tell you—"

"Emmett!" Jaden perked up as Emmett entered the room.

"Hey, buddy. How are you guys doing?"

Dr. Scott smiled. "Take a seat, Emmett. We were just about to talk about what happened in the bedroom."

Jaden and I squished over so he could join us on the bed. It's a good thing the beds are so big, otherwise we'd have fallen off.

"So, Jaden, Emmett and Rosalie were concerned because you said some very upsetting things. Do you really wish that your father had killed you too?"

Nothing like getting right to the point, eh, Dr. Scott? Jaden tensed up in my arms as he rubbed Chocolate's antler on his nose and began sucking on this thumb. He took a couple of moments before answering with a very slight nod of his head.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yesh," he whispered from around his thumb. His reply was lisped quietly. "Shometimesh I do."

"Can you tell us why?"

"Mommy."

"What about your mommy?"

He sighed, snuggling in closer. "I mish her. A lot."

"Is that the only reason?"

Jaden shook his head. "No."

"Can you explain the other reason?"

"That's the problem, I can't explain it," he said a little louder after taking his thumb out of his mouth. "I feel like I'm drowning in the sad and the mad and the…it's too much. Maybe dead is better."

Emmett tensed up beside me before reaching for Jaden. "You really feel like that?"

"Yeah, I know it's wrong and wicked to think like that, but some days it's just so hard to get up and be happy."

"No one expects you to be happy all the time, Jaden," Dr. Scott said, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned closer. "You experienced something that no little boy, let alone a grown up, should ever have to go through. I think people would understand if you weren't feeling happy sometimes."

"But," Jaden started quietly, "no one loves a bad boy or a sad boy. My daddy used to say that. I don't want my new family to stop loving me because I'm sad."

I couldn't stop the tears. "Baby, do you remember what I said about you being a gift from God? I meant it. We will love you no matter what; on the happy days, the mad days and especially on the sad days."

"You pinky swear?"

Emmett linked his pinky with mine, then joined them to Jaden's. "Yeah, buddy, we do."

"Okay, but…how do we make the hurt go away? Help me stop the sads please. Sometimes I can't breathe."

"We will work on that. It won't happen all at once and you are bound to have bad days, but if you're willing to try, then I will do what I can to help you. We all will, won't we, Emmett? Rosalie?"

"Yes," I replied before kissing the top of his head. "We aren't going anywhere."

Jaden straightened up. "Dr. Scott, I'd like to work harder now. I…I think I'm ready to talk about it, but not today. I'm pooped and I'm starving and I _really_ want to go see Lily to say sorry. Can you please unhook me?" He held up his splinted hand.

"I'll get Dr. Singh to come see you first. He can decide if you're able to go home. I'm going to clear an afternoon for us next week if you guys are all available."

"Just let us know when. We'll be there," Emmett said as he moved Jaden over to my lap so he could stand up to shake Dr. Scott's hand.

"I'm going to ask Dr. Singh to write a prescription for a low dose of Ativan in case he has another panic attack. Just pop it under his tongue and he should calm down shortly after. Please don't hesitate to call if you need me. You've got my pager number now; don't be afraid to use it."

"Thank you, Dr. Scott."

"Jaden, I'll see you next week. In the meantime, I'll leave my feeling faces for you to take home so you can show Emmett and Rosalie how you are feeling when you can't find the right words."

"Awesome!" Jaden exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"Bye, everyone."

Emmett walked him to the door, leaving the two of us alone for a minute.

"I'm sorry I almost hit you, Rosie. I guess I wasn't myself."

"I know, sweetie. I'm not mad."

"You know I love you and Emmett, right?"

I held him tighter, rocking him a bit. "Yes, we do. And you know we love you, right?"

"Yup."

"I'm proud of you, sweetie."

"Why? Because I was horrible?"

"No, because you talked about how you were feeling and you were very, very brave. Sometimes it takes the bravery of a little boy to show the rest of us that it's okay to have feelings and talk about them; that hiding the hurt just makes the hurt worse."

"Really? I did all of that?"

I smiled at him. "You sure did."

"Wow, I'm a pretty smart kid."

"You sure are, and don't you ever forget it."

* * *

**Phew, so they got him through this big meltdown. Let's hope that he doesn't have a repeat as serious.**

**I came across an amazing fic this past weekend that totally ruined any plans I had for being productive, and kept me warm when I was without heat. Sherryola recommended it on her update last week and I am forever grateful because, wow, this story is incredible. Want to know what I'm rambling about? Go check out _IMPACT _by nise7465. It's a WIP, but it's well worth the wait for updates.**

**As always, I love to hear what you're thinking, even if you're yelling at me for angst-overload.**


	31. Chapter 29

**SM birthed Twilight and I just really enjoy playing with her kids.**

**Huge thanks and lots o' love to my hardworking betas, Minna and Katmom, who manage to somehow make my mess look better even when they're both so busy. **

**Are you ready for some fun? This is an all-Edward POV and believe it or not, it's not all emo! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Edward**_

I have no idea how Emmett managed to guilt me into helping him get the pool cleaned and ready for use.

No, wait, I do. It was a multilevel tag team attack. On one side I had a very pregnant and uncomfortable Alice whining about needing access to a pool for the baby. On the other I had Jaden pulling out the world's deadliest pout, and then there was my big goofy brother who was itching to get it ready so he could teach Jaden how to do a proper cannonball.

So, that's how I found myself scrubbing an empty pool on a warm and sunny afternoon in late June. Emmett wanted to throw a Fourth of July pool party, so obviously the pool needed to be done. The party was actually multifunctional: it was a diaper party for Alice and Jasper, a belated birthday party for me, and Mom's going away party.

Things had progressed well in the past few weeks and Mom's services, although appreciated, were not needed as much now, and I know she was missing Dad. He had driven down once since graduation and it was easy to see just how much they missed each other.

Cold water hit my bare back and I let out a howl and a curse or two.

"Oooh, Edward said some bad words!" Jaden said, giggling as he held the hose behind his back.

"Well, I wouldn't have if someone hadn't sprayed me with the hose." I tried to look angry at him, but when his bottom lip began trembling, I quickly smiled. "I'm not mad, buddy; I was just playing with you."

An evil grin spread across his face before he turned the hose back onto me. "So was I!"

Emmett was corrupting the kid at record speed. I threw down my scrub brush and ran out of the pool toward him, grabbing a wet sponge from a nearby bucket. "You'd better run, Jaden!"

He squealed and took off, the hose dropped in his haste to escape. "No, no, Edward! Not the sponge!"

"Oh yeah," I growled, "the sponge!"

I slowed my pace a little, allowing him to scale the cargo net to find refuge in one of the towers of the jungle gym. I had no intention of really soaking the kid, I was just playing. "You can't hide forever, Jaden. Me and my sponge will be here waiting."

The window shutters flew open, exposing Emmett's ugly mug. "Oh yeah, little brother?"

The two of them began pelting me with water balloons. I had been ambushed!

"Hey, no fair! All I have is a dirty sponge!" I shouted, raising my hands in the air. "I don't see how this could be considered fair—I'm cleaning _your_ pool for _your _party which is partly being held in _my _honour."

"Life ain't fair!" Jaden called out as he lobbed another balloon at me.

"Whatever. I'm done. I'm going home." I turned to leave; I had better things to do with my time.

The barrage of balloons stopped and it wasn't long before Emmett ran after me with Jaden on his back. "Aww, Eddie, we were just having fun. We'll help you finish up in the pool."

I stopped walking, allowing them to move ahead a couple of paces. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Eddie?"

When my brother turned around to face me, I threw the sponge, effectively hitting him in the middle of his smug face. Jaden squealed when it splashed on him, and then Emmett growled.

"Dirty, Edward, real dirty. If that's how you want to roll, then fine. Hold tight, Jaden. This is _war_!"

Oh shit, he means it too. I dodged him and ran for the hose, which I managed to grab before he could reach me. "Jaden, you may want to take shelter because Emmett's about to get soaked."

The little guy struggled until his feet hit the ground and he took off to watch from the deck. "Okay, I'm safe!"

He didn't need to tell me twice. I turned the nozzle and blasted Emmett in the chest. He tried to dodge, managing to grab a long green pool noodle, which he used to ineffectively try to deflect my assault. "You feel all tough with that hose, don't you, baby brother? Huh?"

"Keep on flapping your gums, Em, I'll fill you up like one of those carnival clowns until your head explodes."

"NO!" Jaden screamed. "Don't hurt him!"

Like the idiot I am, I turned to assure Jaden that I wouldn't hurt Emmett, and when I did, I realized the folly of my ways. Emmett took advantage of my brief moment of inattention and plowed into me, knocking the hose from my grasp, pinning me to the ground.

"Damn it! You need to stop ganging up on me! It's not fair using Jaden against me."

"All's fair in love and war, baby brother. Now, eat…er…drink up!"

Emmett turned the hose on me, relentlessly soaking me. No amount of flailing, cursing, or begging stopped him until…

"Put the hose down and step away from the Edward."

Bella?

Emmett scoffed. "What're you gonna do about it, baby girl?"

"THIS!"

Bella brandished a Super Soaker and pulled the trigger, unleashing a spray of red water at my brother.

"Hey, that's fighting dirty!" he whined as he watched his white t-shirt turn pink.

"Not as dirty as this, son," Mom called out from the upper deck. In a flash, she lobbed a balloon in our direction and before Emmett could react, it exploded, showering us both with…

"Shaving cream?" he bellowed. "Ma! How could you? I'm your firstborn!" He staggered dramatically away from me while Bella continued her assault. "Et tu, Brute?"

Falling to the ground in a performance that should have won him an Oscar, Emmett moaned and twitched. "I'm hit!"

Rosalie came out on the deck, standing beside Esme. "Can someone please shed some light on the reason why Jaden is hiding in the pantry crying?"

Oh shit. The gun. The red water. Emmett and I looked at each other at the same time. "Shit."

He got up, grabbed a towel and ran toward the house. He didn't get far before he was bombarded with a half dozen more shaving cream bombs. Jaden, Rose and Esme were all laughing as they launched them.

"Hey! No using Jaden against me! That was so not fair!"

Bella walked over to him and gave one final blast of red water. "All's fair in love and war, big guy."

Mom lobbed one last one. "Get back to work, you two. That pool needs to be ready for the party and it won't if you continue to roughhouse like a couple of teenagers. We'll bring down some lunch in a few minutes."

"Yes, Mom," we chorused, smirking at each other. "Of course, Mom. We love you, Mom."

"Enough, you two."

Emmett walked over, tossing me his towel. "Sorry about that, Edward, but I couldn't resist."

"So you recruited Jaden?"

He laughed as he clapped me roughly on the back. "Actually, it was his idea, or at least it was his idea to spray you. I _may_ have suggested the water balloons."

"It was actually kind of fun," I admitted.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

We went back to work on the pool, giving it a last scrubbing before we began to fill it. Truth be told, the pool was in near-pristine shape already. The former owners had barely used it.

"Thanks, Edward." Emmett presented me with a fist, which I bumped.

"Anytime."

Mom and Bella brought out sandwiches and beer, informing us that they were taking Jaden to buy a new bathing suit and to go visit Lily.

"Oh, and Ememtt?" Bella said, turning back to face us, "I spoke to Peter and he's agreed to come over tonight if you're not busy."

"Are you…?"

"Jaden and I are staying with Lily until she goes to bed. Esme will drop us off, but someone will have to pick us up later."

I pouted selfishly. I had hoped for a little baby-making time after supper, but then I kicked myself for being so greedy. Peter needed a night with _the boys_ and I could always hook up with Bella after.

"We won't be late, Edward. Have fun with the guys. Jasper will be over in a while with Alice, but the girls will leave you guys alone. I think they're going shopping for the party."

Leaning down, Bella gave me a searing kiss. "I know you had _plans_," she whispered, "we can deal with that later."

It was hard not to groan when her hand skimmed across my crotch.

"Oh god, you two; give it a rest. I'm trying to eat my lunch over here," Emmett groaned before cramming a handful of chips into his mouth.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Em. So, I guess we'll see you guys later. Have fun with Peter."

Emmett stood up, wiped his hands on his shorts and held his arms out to Bella. He hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Bells, this means a lot to me and to Peter."

"I know, Em. It's the least I can do."

Bella ended the hug and went up the stairs where Jaden and Esme were waiting.

"Be safe, love," I called out.

"Always am," she replied with a wink and a grin.

"Well," Emmett said, rubbing his hands together, "I guess that means we're having steak for supper. Wanna check on the beer supply? We might need to do a run to the store."

"I'm on it." I got up and went up the stairs to the kitchen. Rose was leaning against the island, staring off into space.

"Hey," I said softly, not wanting to startle her too much. "You okay?"

Of course she jumped at the sound of my voice—it was unavoidable, but I wasn't expecting the tears I saw rolling down her cheek. Even though Rose and I were closer than we used to be, physical contact had never really been something we'd readily engaged in, but seeing her like that prompted me to pull her into a hug.

"Yeah, Edward, I'm just…ugh…I don't know. I must be hormonal or something," she sniffled against my shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Really?" she pulled out of my arms, staring at me. Wow, am I really that distant with her?

"Yes, I…shit, I'm sorry, I'll just…" I moved toward the fridge. "I'm checking on the beer supply for tonight. I didn't mean to…"

"Yes." Rose reached for my arm. "Please. I do want to talk, and yes, you need more beer."

Sure enough, the fridge was down to two 12-packs. "Want to go for a drive with me to the store?" I asked, not pulling my head from the fridge as I took stock of the other things we'd need for dinner.

"Yes, please. I'll tell Em."

Rose walked out to the deck where she was presumably telling Em that we were heading to the store. I grabbed my backpack, fishing out some cleaner and _drier_ clothes. When I emerged from the bathroom, Rose held out my keys. "Let's go."

The drive started off with an awkward silence and we didn't make it very far before Rose burst into tears. I pulled over in the nearest parking lot so I could better focus my attention on her. "What is it, Rose?"

"What isn't it?" she snorted tearfully, her hands raised, palms up in emphasis. "God, I feel so stupid sometimes."

"Do we need Jaden's poster?" I asked, teasingly. "Would it be easier to point to the faces?"

Rose's eyes grew. "Oh my god! Did Edward Cullen make a funny just now? Alert the media!" she chuckled lightly as I feigned upset, but then she sighed. "When did life become so fucked up? I mean, really, Edward, things have changed so much in the past year—the four musketeers have become six, with a seven year old, a baby on the way, a wedding under our belts and another one on the horizon."

"Two more."

I heard her answer in the sad sigh she released. "One, Edward. Emmett hasn't brought up our engagement in a long time. I think he forgot."

"He hasn't, Rose. He's crazy about you. Things are just so…chaotic. Sometimes my brother is slow, a little dense. I know he's been overwhelmed with Jaden, getting the adoption underway…"

"…and his crazy fiancée…" she added before trailing off.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Rosie, I can't even begin to imagine the horrors you have endured but please don't think for one moment that you are crazy. You're like the rest of us, a little cracked, but still strong enough to get by. Emmett is the glue; let him hold you together when it gets to be too much."

"Sometimes," she said, sighing, "sometimes I get scared that I'm too needy and he's going to run or worse; that I'll run him into the ground. I don't want to break him, and I don't want him waking up and realizing that I'm not the same ball-busting Rosie he fell in love with."

I started to interject, but she stopped me. "No, Edward, let me finish. Ever since _Mama_ showed up, I've been unable to control my emotions; I'm fine one minute and as you saw in the kitchen, I'm a mess the next. Everything triggers an emotional response in me and it scares me because…because I fought so hard to be _tough Rosalie Hale_. Men in my classes feared me, my ferocity, and my drive. The girls always appreciated my no-nonsense approach. That's who I am. I'm tough as hell. Or at least I was…now I'm starting to feel like the fragile piece of China that everyone is afraid will break."

"Rosie…" I started, my voice laced with concern.

"SEE! Even you're changing around me!" She threw her hands into the air in frustration, her voice going up in volume and octave.

"What do you mean? What did I say?" I was confused by her accusation.

"You called me _Rosie_! You only ever call me _Rose_! This new emo-Rose is causing a shift; everyone treats me like I'm delicate and like you said, I'm _not_ so weak that I can't stand on my own two feet. This _relying on people_ thing is weird. I don't like it. People mollycoddling me is…it's foreign. I get confused."

"About what?"

Rose turned in her seat to face me. "Is it pity or love?"

"Oh, Rose, it's never pity coming from us, and if my mom ever heard you say that it would break her heart. She loves you, Em loves you, I love you, we all love you. Pity is not something Emmett tolerates, Rose, he hates it. How do you think Bella got to where she is? Emmett chose not to pity her and made her work. In his eyes, pity is not pretty, and what he has for you is beautiful. You changed him, renewed him, resuscitated him."

"After all I've been through and realized lately, the concept of love feels like something alien."

"Do you love Emmett?"

She smiled at me. "With all my heart and soul."

"What do you feel for Jaden?"

"Love and an intense and almost feral need to protect him."

"You _know_ love, Rose; you just need to reevaluate some things. You've lived a life without much of it, and frankly, I'd be questioning things too, if I were you, because Cullen love is an intense one and can really mess with your head." I laughed. "You just need to figure it out. Your mother…"

A well-manicured hand halted me. "STOP! I don't…I can't…Look, I understand my love for others, _that_ makes sense. I just don't understand how and why people can love me. It doesn't make sense."

"I know, but just listen for a second. Your mother is a cruel and evil wench who prevented you from ever feeling that mother-daughter bond. My mother is jumping at a chance to be there for you, to show you a real mother's love.

"Alice and Bella can provide that sisterly love you need, while Jasper and I can take care of the brotherly love."

I watched as she looked back at me, fresh tears in her eyes. "I'd like that, Edward."

"Your father is going to try to make up for his shortcomings as a dad, so you have him AND my dad AND Alice's dad."

She nodded.

"And you have the most important kind of love a person can ever experience—you have the pure, unadulterated love of a child. Jaden is crazy about you, Rose, and really, you're both going through a similar crisis…his father betrayed his trust and his love by killing his mother and then himself; your mother betrayed you by killing your spirit and never being what you needed. Maybe the two of you can get through this and help each other on the way.

"So you see, you _know_ love, you just need to reconcile it with what you perceived love to be. You've equated platonic and familial love with success, something to be earned at the end of a task or competition for so long that it's engrained in you to look at it like that. Love is not a reward for being a good or smart girl, love goes deeper than that; real love doesn't care if you are the top student, it only cares that you're happy, that you're healthy; it exists unconditionally. Did that make sense?"

There was a pregnant pause before she nodded. "I think so."

I smiled. "Good, because I think I broke my brain on that. Things are changing and they are changing quickly. We are all overwhelmed right now, and I can't imagine how hard it must be for you; your walls have crumbled and you're feeling vulnerable. Well, that's the great thing about families—not only will we pick up the pieces, but we won't ever take advantage of your vulnerability."

Rose threw herself across the centre console. "Thank you, Edward."

"Anytime, Rose. I'm really not the stuck up emo bitch you all seem to think I am."

When she spoke, it was almost a whisper and I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. "Rosie."

I blinked, confused. "What? Shit, did I call you Rosie again? I'm so—"

"No, silly, please take that stick out of your ass and call me Rosie. You've earned it."

I smiled against her hair as I finished the hug. "Thanks, Rosie."

My phone buzzed and I had to laugh as I read the text message. "Where did u go 4 beer? Mexico?"

"Come on, Rosie, Emmybear is getting antsy. Let's get the beer and get back before he sends out a search party."

* * *

**See, it wasn't all emo, and even the emo wasn't bad...I hope. It was about time Edward and Rosie had some bonding time.**

**We're getting close to the 900 review mark. Thanks so much for all of your reviews throughout this story-it means a lot.**

**I have two completed fic recs for you this week:  
**_**The White Swan Lodge **_**by Jarkin33 (which is very low on the angst scale, but very high on the lemons)  
_A Constant in the Darkness_ by camoozle (high...VERY high on the angst, but so damn incredible)**

**I need your help. I'm writing for the Fandom For Tsunami, Fandom Fights Mental Illness and Fandom for Sexual Assault Awareness and I need to know if you guys want stand alone O/S or if there are any outtakes/futuretakes you want to see from one of my other stories. I've had requests for futuretakes from _Road Maps_ and there's something in the works for that. So, I'm taking requests and we'll see what you guys come up with. Thanks!**


	32. Chapter 30

**The response to the last chapter makes me feel like I've really put you all through the wringer with this story. *wink wink* You'll be happy to know that this chapter is also a lighter one, in fact, I think it's downright giddy if you compare it to other chapters. **

**SM owns the farm and I'm just playing with her animals.**

**Minnkoda and Katmom own my heart, gratitude and utmost respect.**

* * *

_**Jaden**_

My new friend, Luc, the French jizziotherapist, was with Lily when we got to the hospital. "Hey, Luc, come-on-za-va?" I said, trying to use some of the French he had taught me.

"Ça va bien, merci. Et toi?"

I had to think hard to remember how I was supposed to answer him. "Um…je…sooey…je swee okay?" I knew I hadn't said it right, but he wasn't mad.

"You can answer by saying _bien merci_, that is, if you are feeling _bien_. Do you remember what that word means?"

I smiled because I did. "Bien means good."

"Good job. You want to come with us? I'm taking Lily to the pool today."

"Um, how can Lily swim if she can't move? She'll sink!"

"It's okay, she will be wearing a life jacket and I won't let go of her. I promise."

I looked over at Bella, who held up my backpack. "We just bought you a new suit! What perfect timing," she said, smiling. "Actually, Peter told me that Luc was taking Lily to the pool. They thought she might not be as scared if you went with her."

"Are you coming too?"

She nodded and smiled. "I never thought I'd step foot in that pool again, but yes, I'm coming too."

I jumped up and did a dance, pumping my fists in the air. Everyone was laughing…even Lily. The room got quiet as everyone listened to my best friend making a noise. "Is…is Lily laughing?"

Luc set down her leg and moved over beside where I was standing. "Do it again, Jaden."

I started dancing like a fool as everyone gathered around, watching Lily.

"Oh my god," Peter said, gasping, "she _is_ laughing! Oh, Lily baby, you're laughing!"

Her laugh sounded more like grunts, but she was smiling, so I kept dancing until I got too tired. "I'm done," I said, huffing and puffing.

Lily stopped smiling and looked away.

"I'm sorry, Lily, I'm pooped. I'll dance again for you later."

Peter was sitting in a chair crying while Bella tried to calm him down, but she was crying too. What's up with all the crying? Man.

Luc smiled at me. "Want to get your suit on while we get Lily into hers?"

"Yup. I'll give you some privacy. Oh reeee-voir."

"À bientôt," he said back before he asked Bella to help him get Lily sorted out.

I took my time getting changed because I knew it would take a while for them to change her. When I got out they were just lifting her into a wheelchair. I ran over and took her hand. "Cool wheels, Lily! Can I please push her?"

Bella smiled at me as she took her bathing suit out of the backpack. "You can help. Those chairs are heavy, buddy. I'll be right back."

Peter was putting on his jacket. "You guys have fun today. If you need me, I'll just be over at your house with Emmett and the boys." He knelt down beside Lily. "Sweetie, Daddy's just going to go visit Emmett for a bit. I'll be back if you need me. Bella and Jaden will stay with you until bedtime, okay?"

Lily smiled slowly.

"I love you, Lilypad. If you need me, I'll come right back, I promise."

I stepped over to him. "You have nothing to worry about. We will take excellent care of Lily, and we brought some surprises for later."

Peter smiled at me and messed up my hair. "I know, buddy, thank you. I owe you."

"Nah, I'm just excited to spend the day with my BFF."

"BFF?"

"Best friend forever!" I picked up Lily's hand and did our secret handshake. Peter started to cry again. I gave him a hug. "She'll be okay, I promise. Please go have fun with Emmett; he's excited that you're going over to play."

He laughed. "Okay, I'm out of here. I love you, Lily. Have fun in the pool." He kissed her head and smiled. "See you soon."

Peter ran into Bella as she was coming out of the bathroom. They talked, then hugged, then he left.

"Who wants to go for a swim?"

They let me help push Lily's new wheelchair to the pool. They were right about it being heavy and when I asked why it was so heavy, they said that it was a special one that could change Lily's position from lying down to standing up. She wasn't ready to stand yet, but soon they would try putting her in that position to work her muscles and balance.

The pool was small and had a big ramp and chair machines that would lift people in and out of the water. Because Lily's so small, Luc carried her into the pool while Bella and me entered behind them. The water was warm and felt good on my sore arm and Bella said that it would be would probably be good for it.

Lily's body got all stiff in the water and she started grunting really loud. I doggie paddled over closer to her. "It's okay, Lily. I'm here. You're safe, see?" I pointed to my lifejacket, then hers. "We both have life jackets and Luc has you. Don't be scared. I won't go anywhere."

She stopped grunting and seemed to relax a bit. Luc walked deeper into the water with her as she floated. I asked if I could help and he said that I could hold her hand to keep her calm, and talk to her while he worked with her legs.

Bella took one hand while I took the other. I looked at Lily, who stared at the ceiling, blinking.

"Don't be scared, Lily. Want me to sing to you?"

I felt her squeezing my hand so I started to sing the first song that came to mind.

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"

Bella joined in, "SpongeBob SquarePants!"

"Absodent and yellow and porous is he!" Ugh! I always mess up that first word, but hoped no one noticed.

"SpongeBob SquarePants!" Luc chanted, laughing.

"If nautical nonsense be something you wish…"

Bella, Luc and one of the other patients in the pool all shouted, "SpongeBob SquarePants!"

I laughed. "Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!"

Then everyone finished the song together. Lily was laughing again and totally relaxed. We floated in the pool together for a while, while I hummed and just enjoying the nice water when Luc said a bad word.

"Well, shit."

I rolled so I wasn't on my back anymore and looked at him. He was staring at Lily's legs.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

"Jaden, can you hum that song again?"

I started humming the swimming pool song and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Lily's leg move. By itself. When I stopped humming, her leg stopped moving.

"Hum again, please?"

I did, and again, Lily's leg moved in the water.

"Awesome," I said. "Lily, you're moving your leg."

She smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

I started twirling in the water like we were dancing, holding her hand up as if she was the one twirling me and she smiled bigger.

"We're pool dancing, Bella! Look at us!"

Bella smiled at us. "You sure are, sweetie. You'll be walking on water next."

"Lily, I have a pool at home; you'll have to come for a swim sometime." She squeezed my hand once, which I took for a yes.

After a few more minutes of dancing and a race between me and Lily and Luc who was pulling her across the pool and back, we called it a day. Why do they say that anyway? I heard Luc say it and it didn't really make sense; if it's not day then it must be night and it wasn't dark outside yet.

When we were all changed and dry, Luc said bye and that he'd pop by later to do her evening stretches. I crawled into bed with Lily and took a nap while Bella went to get supper. Lily didn't eat food yet, she had liquid dinner through a tube in her belly. I thought it was gross at first, but when they explained that it was the only way she could eat and let me help them, it didn't seem so bad.

Bella pulled out some movies. I had brought them for Lily because Peter said that they were her favourites. "Lily, do you want to watch a movie?"

She squeezed my hand once.

"I brought _Finding Nemo_ and _The Little Mermaid_. Can you tell me which one you want to watch first?"

Lily's hand moved in mine, giving me an idea. I pulled the bed table over and rested her hand on it before I put up the movies so she could see them. "Can you point to the one you want to watch?"

"Jaden, honey, I don't know…" Bella said, stopping when we both saw Lily's hand twitch and shake. Bella brought over a face cloth and put it under Lily's hand. "Her hand was sticking to the table," she explained. "Go ahead and try it now, Lily."

_**Bella**_

I watched as Lily's hand moved slightly to the right, toward _The Little Mermaid_. It was incredible to watch because I had vague memories of my own early days in rehab. If Jaden's feelings poster had been available back then, I would have spent a lot of time pointing to the frustrated face. Being trapped in your body, unable to move, talk, and communicate is one of the most frustrating things I have ever endured, and that includes dealing with Edward's mood swings and trips down emo lane.

My eyes burned as Jaden squealed, asking her to do it again, only this time he moved the movies around, and again, she chose _The Little Mermaid_.

"Look, Bella! Look! She did it again and again! It's too bad Peter couldn't see this. I think he'd be excited enough to cry again."

"Yeah, he would…oh!" I pulled out my phone and asked Jaden to get her to do it again. I explained that I was recording it to send to her father.

"Hi, Peter," I said, pointing the camera at myself. "Lily wanted to show you something. Go ahead, Lily, tell Daddy which movie you're going to watch."

I turned the camera toward a grinning Jaden and a smiling Lily. "Go ahead, guys."

Jaden waved, then held up one of Lily's hands to wave as well. "Hi!" After setting her right hand down onto the facecloth he moved the movies around. "Which movie are we watching tonight, Lily?"

Very slowly, her hand slid over to point at _The Little Mermaid_. Jaden and I cheered before I turned the camera back on myself. "There you have it. Lily has chosen the same movie four times; it's no fluke. I'm sorry you weren't here to see it in person, but now you'll have the moment to watch over and over again."

I stopped recording, named the file Amazing Lily and sent it to Peter's phone, hoping it would serve to make him happy and not sad that he missed this moment.

"Can you please put the movie in?" Jaden asked, yawning.

"Sure can, sweetie. Do you want to put your jammies on, you know, just in case you fall asleep? That way we won't have to wake you up to change into them when you go home. Luc will be here soon to do Lily's stretches and I need to get her changed into her jammies too."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit, Lily."

I held out his backpack. "They're in there. I'll let you know when we're ready for you."

I moved over to Lily's bedside to move the table before I could start getting her changed. "Lily, you had an incredible day today, didn't you? Your daddy is going to be so excited when he sees the new things you can do."

I grabbed her pajamas from the bureau, choosing a pair of pink Strawberry Shortcake flannels for her. Memories of being in bed and being cold at night flashed in my head. "I hope you don't mind the flannels, pumpkin; I would hate for you to get cold. I used to get cold when I was in a coma like you and I couldn't tell anyone about it."

Undressing her posed no problems; however, getting her re-dressed was problematic. Thankfully, Luc arrived and helped me out. As we worked together, I relayed what had happened, showing him the video.

"Good job, Lily! That's awesome, kiddo."

"Oh, Lily, I didn't show it to you did I? Would you like to see?"

Jaden called out from the bathroom as I was showing the video to its little silent star. "Hello? I'd like to come out please. It's _very_ boring in here."

"Oh, Jaden! Come on out, buddy."

The little guy came out, pouting. I gave the phone to Luc and picked up Pouty McPoutypants. "I'm sorry, buddy. Please don't be mad."

His bottom lip trembled. "I was scared you'd forgot me and you'd leave me in there and go home without me."

"No, baby, it just took a while to get Lily ready for bed. Do you want to help Luc?"

He nodded before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I took my phone back from Luc before he and Jaden went to work on Lily's poor muscles. Her feet and ankles were stiff and pointed and I feared they would have to release the frozen tendons surgically if they couldn't get her feet to flex soon. I remembered the pain in my ankles and feet when they splinted them every night to prevent them from freezing. I had to work really hard to get them back to a more manageable flexibility and even now they still felt tight at times.

My phone rang and I smiled when I saw the name of the caller. "Hi, Peter."

_**Peter**_

Emmett's house was nothing short of a castle compared to anything I've ever lived in, and he wasn't lying about his mancave. A guy could get used to a place like that _very_ quickly.

Our house in Olympia had been modest, but it was affordable on one salary. I made a decent living working as a graphic designer for an up and coming advertising firm after I went to college.

Lily came into my life eight years ago on a warm late August day. Her mother never really wanted her—well, that's not true; her mother wanted an accessory, since all the celebs seemed to be having babies. What she didn't know was that much like tiny dogs, babies poop, pee and puke. Jane was overwhelmed by it all and very calmly told me one night about six months after Lily was born that she wanted to leave; she felt trapped.

There was no love lost between us; I never loved Jane. We had dated off and on, but never really clicked. I told her that she was free to go and that I would be keeping Lily. Unlike her mother, I fell in love with Lily the second I saw her grainy peanut-shaped image on that first ultrasound.

"All I ask, Jane, is that you relinquish your parental rights. We won't ever bother you again. Please just let me raise her alone without any outside intervention. I think it would be easiest this way."

Jane smiled. "I can't thank you enough, Peter. We both know I'm not mother material and that she'll be better off without me. I'd rather you raise her than give her to a stranger."

The next week she signed the papers, confirmed with the judge that she was stepping back, and that was it. Lily was mine and mine alone.

Okay, that's a lie. Jane and I stayed in touch and I send her a photo every year, and on every birthday Lily receives an anonymous card usually stuffed with a twenty dollar bill.

Jane's not a bad person, and I don't begrudge her choice one bit. She gave me my reason for living…

…and I almost lost her.

"Dude?"

Emmett tossed a Nerf basketball at my head. "You okay?"

I smiled at my new friend, tipping my beer in his direction. "Yeah, just thinking."

"That's not acceptable, dude. Today is about _you_, and not worrying about Lily. I know it's hard, but you're going to end up burning yourself out and you'll be no good to her. She needs a strong father and if you keep going like this then you'll be useless. Trust me.

"Besides, Bella knows better than anyone how to deal with Lily, and I think it's good for her, hell, for both of them. So, you up for some air hockey?"

Edward and Jasper groaned. That didn't bode well for this game at all. I looked over at them, cocking an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?"

They shook their heads in unison.

Emmett pouted at them. "Come on, guys, it's not that bad, is it?"

Again, they shook their heads.

"Please, Petey, buddy, pal-o-mine? Just one game?"

I shrugged. "Sure, It's been a while, so go easy."

Okay, I may have played dirty at that moment. I didn't totally lie, it _had_ been a while since I'd played, but I may have omitted some information. I may have _forgotten_ to tell him that I was my college's champ three years in a row, as well as the reigning office champion.

After quickly defeating him, Edward and Jasper were jumping up and down chanting my name while Emmett stood across from me, mouth agape. "Dude, you sharked me!"

I smiled at him. "Not really. It _has_ been a while since I've played."

"You're like some air hockey savant or something, aren't you? Holy shit balls, no one has _ever_ handed me my ass like that before."

"Sorry," I said, moving away from the table, back over to the bar to grab my beer. "I should have come clean about my…"

"Say no more. I will take my ass-kicking with the little dignity I have left. Let's go throw those steaks on the grill."

Emmett commandeered the grill while I sat around with the boys, drinking and talking. It was great to get to know them a little better; I mean, I had met them both before at the hospital, and I knew a little bit about each one of them, but we'd never really had much time to talk beyond day-to-day conversation. I knew by the time Emmett set four of the biggest steaks I had ever seen before us that if I stayed in Seattle, these guys would end up being my best friends, and frankly, because of them, the thought of staying here was sounding better and better.

We ate the steaks with gusto and I had to say that I was on the verge of a meat coma when my phone went off. Picking it up, I saw it was a text message from Bella. I read it twice to be sure I read it right, then watched the video the first of many times. My eyes filled with tears as I watched my baby girl point to her favourite movie, and they fell when she smiled at the camera.

"Oh my god," I said, dropping the phone and letting out a jubilant yell. "OH MY GOD!"

Edward looked at me, worried. "What's wrong?"

"W…watch…watch the video…it's…"

He picked up the phone and watched the video with Jasper and Emmett crowded around him. I knew the exact moment that they witnessed it; their jaws dropped in shock and awe before they all smiled excitedly.

"Wow," Jasper said, wiping at his eyes. "That's…"

"…amazing," Edward finished for him.

Before I had time to react, Emmett had run around the table and pulled me up into a bear hug. "Dude, I told you she was in there!"

I gave into him, returning the hug. "Thanks, Emmett. I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

When he released me, I sat back down and watched it again, more amazed each time, getting more emotional. "She had…she wasn't…they…" I sighed heavily. "They wanted me to unplug her. They said that she would either die or she'd never wake up. I kept telling them that they were wrong. I knew she was in there somewhere. Look at her…"

I fell apart. I didn't care because I knew they all understood how I was feeling and really, they felt like brothers to me.

Emmett knelt beside my chair, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Peter, you're with friends. I…I know firsthand how big this is and how overwhelming it can and will be. I just want you to know that we've got your back."

"Thanks…r…really. Th…thank you."

He pushed the phone toward me. "Call baby girl. I know you want to."

I took my phone and smiled at the image of my baby's face staring, smiling back at me before I hit the redial button. "Hi, Bella? It's Peter…"

* * *

**So? Happy happy? Fun times in a pool? A bunch of good ol' boys having some beers and playing air hockey? Can you handle the happy? Are you wondering if you're reading the same story that had you in tears? **

**Yup.**

**I can't say that it will last forever, but enjoy the happy while you can.**

**And yes, Alice will be having a baby at some point. It's all written, as are the next 10 chapters, so it will happen. You just need to be patient. Good things are coming, I promise.**

**I'm still taking requests for the upcoming fundraisers I've signed up to write for. Fandom4Tsunami, Fandom for Sexual Assault Awareness, and Fandom against Mental Illness. Please check them out and let me know if you have any suggestions for O/S.**

**As always, I love to hear what you're thinking. You guys are great and always have such insightful (and sometimes silly) things to say.**


	33. Chapter 31

**I am happy to say that this chapter is coming to you from my new laptop! Hooray!**

**This is another happy one. It's lemony as well.**

**What the hell, right? Where's the angst?**

**SM owns Twilight. I own my new laptop.**

**Katmom and Minna are amazing and I am so thankful they not only agreed to help with this story, but act as my cheerleaders and life coaches when I need them. I big puffy heart you two.**

* * *

_**Rosalie**_

On the morning of the party, I woke up to a happy bouncy big guy and a sleepy, snuggly little guy.

"It's party time!" Emmett exclaimed excitedly. "Get up, you two! Get up! We have to get things finished before everyone comes over."

Jaden burrowed in closer to me. "Is he always like this?" he mumbled.

I laughed at him. "Yeah, buddy, he is. Maybe if we ignore him he'll go away."

Emmett bounced on the bed so hard we both nearly went flying. "I guess not," the little guy muttered grumpily.

"Come on!"

Jaden growled a little, so I pulled him closer. "No worries, I'll get us a few more minutes, okay?" I turned to Emmett. "Babe, things will go a lot faster if you go get breakfast started while we wake up properly."

I winked at him as I tilted my head toward the sleepy boy.

He stopped bouncing and nodded. Emmett may be dense by times, but he's not stupid. "Okay, I'll go make some French toast if that's cool with the two of you."

Jaden grunted in the affirmative and I had to laugh. He was not a morning person, or at least he hadn't been lately. "Sounds good to me; we'll be down in a bit. Oh, can you throw a load of towels in the dryer to freshen them up for this afternoon?"

"Aye, aye. May I kiss mi'lady before I am dispatched to my chores?"

"You may."

Emmett lay beside me on the bed, gently turning my face for a kiss. I kind of got lost in the moment and things might have accelerated further had Jaden not piped up. "Ew and aaawkwaard."

We laughed so hard that I thought I might piss my pants. "Sorry, buddy."

"S'alright."

Emmett ruffled Jaden's hair before getting up to get his day started. When he was gone I cuddled closer with Jaden, kissing his bedhead. "Your hair is almost as unruly as Edward's," I teased. "Might be time to go get it cut."

"Is it that bad?"

I pondered it dramatically. "Maybe not _that_ bad, but bad enough. We'll wash it today even though it'll just get wet again in the pool."

"Oh yeah," he said, yawning.

"You feeling okay, buddy? You don't seem to have a fever," I observed, placing my hand on his forehead.

"Yeah, I'm just tired and a little blah, that's all. I just need some quiet cuddle time before the party. It's going to be a busy day."

I ran my fingers through his hair as I rubbed his back. "Anything else on your mind?"

He remained so quiet that I thought he had fallen asleep. "Jaden?"

A loud sigh alerted me that he was awake. "Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it today. I want to talk to you about it tomorrow when it's quiet."

"Okay. You know…"

"Yeah, yeah," he cut me off, sounding more like a teenager than a little boy, "I know that I can talk to you. I'm just tired of talking, that's all."

"That's fine, sweetie. Let's just cuddle in silence, then."

The silence didn't last long.

"ROSIE! JADEN! GET UP!"

"Can we ignore him, please?" Jaden asked, pulling the blankets over our heads.

"Probably not; it just fuels his fire."

Emmett came flying into the room, bouncing on the bed again. "Oh my god, you're never going to guess what happened!"

"What happened?" we chorused, monotone.

"Jenks just called."

I threw the blanket off of us. "And?" I asked, sitting up. "Please say it's good news. I can't handle any bad news right now."

Emmett shook his head. "It's not good news," he paused, "it's GREAT news! They managed to get us an adoption hearing in two weeks! It's happening, Rosie!"

Jaden rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "I don't understand."

Emmett practically tackled the little guy. "Dude, we might officially be a family in a couple of weeks!"

I watched as Jaden's sleepy eyes widened and a smile grew on his face. "Really? Then I'll belong to you and you will belong to me?"

We both nodded, awaiting his reaction. In a matter of seconds, he jumped up, bounced twice and flung himself at Emmett. "Best news ever!"

The celebrating continued until Esme knocked on the door, looking sleepy and confused. "What's going on?"

Emmett grabbed Jaden and carried him over to her. "Sorry, Ma, but we got the best news just now. Jenks called and…"

Esme's jaw dropped, then trembled. "Did…has…?"

"The hearing got bumped up to two weeks from now."

The three of them began jumping up and down, shouting. I watched the jubilant celebration through blurry eyes as the tears fell. It was amazing to think that we would have a son, legally, in a couple of weeks. We could move on with our lives without fear that he'd be taken from us. He would be ours.

"Rosie, don't cry," Jaden said as he hugged me. "I hate to see you cry."

"I'm just so happy, I can't control it."

"I'm happy too. And hungry. Let's get breakfast."

Breakfast was quick and painless, that is, once Esme took over. As soon as Jaden cleaned his plate he hopped in the shower while I put out some clothes for him. Emmett got to work setting up the deck area by the pool, setting up deck chairs, sweeping up any dirt that may have sullied his pristine deck, and putting up umbrellas for shade because it was actually warm and sunny outside. Imagine that!

Bella and Edward arrived not long after and we all pitched in to get the decorations put up and the pool house stocked up with towels.

Jaden and Esme put the finishing touches on the cupcake tower they had made and we still had half an hour to sit back and relax. We sat around and talked and the conversations remained light and somewhat silly until Alice and Jasper arrived. They were later than expected, but they still managed to beat the arrival of the other guests.

"I'm not feeling so great today," Alice lamented quietly, not wanting to freak out the boys. "Sunny's not being very nice to me right now; I think she's ready to bust out."

Bella smiled. "Are you sure that's not just wishful thinking on your part?"

I laughed as Alice blushed, looking away. "Yeah, maybe a bit. It's been hard because work has been a lot more physically demanding than I anticipated, Sunny's not letting me get much sleep and I'm just…" she yawned, "worn out."

"Come to the pool. We've got a special spot set up for you. I think you'll be happy. When you've rested a bit, maybe you'll feel like taking a dip in the pool—the lack of gravity might make you feel better." I gently guided her toward the stairs leading down to the bottom deck. "I've got the bathroom in the pool house all spic and span so you won't have to go up and down the stairs every time you have to pee."

Alice's smile was huge when she spotted the nest we'd set up for her. The previous owners had left the most incredible deck furniture, including this one piece that Jaden and Emmett referred to as _the island_. It was big, round, sheltered by a huge umbrella and seated two adults, or two adults and a wiggly little boy.

On either side of the island there were back rests that you could raise or lower, so we had pulled one up and padded it with plush pillows and blankets.

"This is heaven," she sighed as we helped her get settled, "you guys spoil me."

"Rest up, Alice. Try to take a nap before everyone gets here." I lifted up another secret compartment that housed a built-in cooler. "There's water, juice, fresh fruit and a sandwich in here. You should be okay for a bit."

Alice held out her arms. "Group hug!"

We piled onto her as best we could and just basked in the moment.

"I love you, guys," she murmured. "You're the best friends a girl could ask for."

"We love you too, Ali," I replied, speaking for Bella and myself. "That's what sisters do."

Alice was asleep in the blink of an eye, so Bells and I got up and set about dealing with the final finishing touches before the rest of the guests arrived.

Ah, the guests—since it was a combo diaper party/belated birthday party for Edward/Fourth of July party, there would be a wide array of people. We were expecting anywhere from thirty to forty people and possibly a special guest or two.

Jaden came yelling out onto the top deck. "Doc Carlisle's here, Rosie! Can I go hang out with him?"

I smiled up at him. "Only if you promise not to bother him with too many questions and keep him from seeing Esme; he's missed seeing her, and they deserve some alone time, got it?"

He waved me off. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

_Cheeky monkey_, I thought as I turned back to my task at hand. Bella moved over and bumped my hip. "They grow up fast, don't they?"

I growled playfully as she laughed. "Laugh it up, Bella, but you're his favourite person; don't be surprised if he ends up at your house when he's acting obstinate and obnoxious."

"I look forward to it. He's no match for me, although he'll likely have Edward wrapped around his little finger."

"Ha! You're probably right. Speaking of the birthday boy, where did he go?"

"He's," she dropped her voice down to a whisper, "he's picking up one of the surprises. He should be here soon."

I smiled. Alice's mom was flying in. Sadly, Liam couldn't make it, but Millie jumped at the chance. Bella suspected that Alice might go into labour soon and thought maybe if Millie came now instead of later it would ensure that she would be here for the birth of her granddaughter. Hopefully the excitement wouldn't send Alice into labour when she saw her mother.

Luckily, that didn't happen. When Alice awoke from her nap to find her mother curled up beside her, she burst into tears.

"I hope those are happy tears, sweetie," Millie said as she wiped them from her daughter's cheeks.

"Of course they are," she sputtered, "I'm just so surprised and hormonal and uncomfortable."

Bella put her arm around my waist, resting her head on my shoulder. "They're cute, eh?"

"Yeah, let's leave them alone for a few minutes before the crowd gets here."

We walked up to the upper deck where we found Esme and Jaden dancing around to the Black Eyed Peas. I rolled my eyes before I had to laugh at them. I'm not a fan of the BEP, but watching him dancing around like a fool, acting out the song, was just too damn entertaining.

Sadly, the sound of the doorbell took me away from the dancing. The cake I had ordered was due to arrive and I wanted to keep it hidden until the very last minute. If they had done it to specification then it would certainly blow everyone away.

It _was_ the cake and I was glad for the dancing diversion because no one noticed us bringing it in. I breathed easier knowing it had arrived safely and that it turned out even better than expected. It was almost three feet tall, the bottom layer had a baby shower theme, the next layer had a birthday theme, and the top layers were decorated with an Uncle Sam, as well as bottle rockets and fireworks made of fondant, modeling chocolate and blown sugar to commemorate the Fourth of July.

People began arriving as I admired the cake, and I was overwhelmed by how quickly the house filled up. Before long the place was hopping with an interesting mélange of people. Friends from school milled about by the BBQ, talking to Jasper; Edward and Bella's support group friends were down by the pool; Irina, Bella's mentor and thesis advisor was chatting with Esme and Millie, and I noticed that Tyler, Adam, Leah and Bree were playing with Jaden.

A gentle touch on my shoulder startled me. I turned to see Zafrina smiling at me. "Emmett and Jaden invited me. I hope you…"

I threw my arms around her. "No, I'm so happy you're here! I was just surprised. Come on in; everyone will be happy to see you."

We walked out arm in arm until Jaden spotted her and took off up the stairs at breakneck speed. "Miss Zafrina! You came!"

Poor Zafrina was nearly knocked off her feet by the force of his hug. "Hey, Jaden, I wouldn't have missed this for the world." She knelt down before him. "I love a good party."

"Want to see my room?" he asked excitedly.

"I'd love to, sweetie."

Jaden looked up at me. "Is that okay?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course it is, silly, but don't talk her poor ears off, okay?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes at me, which he did with a giggle before dragging Zafrina toward the stairs, pointing things out along the way.

Emmett's arms wrapped around my waist as he chuckled from behind me. "He's quite the kid."

"Yeah," I said, melting back into him, "and he's almost our kid."

It was hard not to sigh when he nibbled at my earlobe. "I can't wait. I also can't wait to marry you so we'll be a real family. Can we do it soon?"

"Hmm, what?" I was lost in the sensation of his breath on my ear.

"Can we get married soon?"

I stopped and stiffened. "Really? After everything that's happened? After all I've told you…you…you still want to marry me?"

"Yup. I never stopped wanting to."

"But Alice…she'll…she'll want to plan it," I stuttered.

"Bella stepped up to the plate and is taking one for the team."

"You've been talking about this to the others?" I asked, the pitch of my voice getting higher and higher.

"Let's just say that Bella owes me one or two or a gazillion." He turned me around to face him. "I want to do this before the adoption hearing. I was going to wait until tonight to talk to you about it, but I couldn't wait. I want us to get married next week, Rosie."

I was stunned. Words failed me. I had been so scared that he'd take back his proposal after he knew my dirty secret and yet here he was asking me to marry him again and wanting to do it soon. "Yes."

"Yes?"

Looking into his blue eyes, I could see the love he had for me and I knew without a doubt that we needed to do this and more importantly, that I _wanted_ to do it. "Yes, baby, let's get married. Something small, no fancy reception, just us in the yard with a Justice of the Peace and a barbecue. Just family. Is that okay? I don't think I could handle anything big. This party is big enough."

My feet left the ground as he picked me up, twirling me around. "Anything you want, babe. We could even go to Vegas and get married by Elvis if you want," he added with a mischievous grin. Clearly he wasn't at all put out by the idea of eloping.

I smiled down at him before giving him a kiss. "I love you, Emmett."

And I did. My love for this man threatened to consume me, and had we not had a houseful of people, I'd have fucked him silly right then and there.

But I didn't because I am a lady.

And because I would soon be Mrs. Emmett Cullen.

_**Edward**_

I'm not really one for big parties, and this party was huge. Combining so many events into one was asking for a large crowd and a lot of preparation. I kept telling everyone that they didn't need to include me in the festivities, but they had insisted, since my birthday had been so quiet a couple of weeks ago. Really, though, I wanted quiet; I craved quiet.

Bella and I had decided to spend my birthday alone, just the two of us. We slept late, she served me breakfast in bed, we made love, took a bath, made love, took a nap, made love…you get the picture, right?

It had been a glorious day, and frankly, the first birthday I had wanted to acknowledge in five years. Of course my family was chomping at the bit to get their hands on me, so the day following, I subjected myself to their birthday celebration which had to be cut short when poor Jaden had a meltdown.

On the day of the big party, I found myself rushing around to get things finished in enough time to pick up Millie at the airport. Her pleasant chatter kept me entertained and my mind off the chaos to come.

I have to say that Millie Brandon is an enigma wrapped in a very warm and fuzzy patchouli-smelling sweater. Even though she appeared to be light, fluffy, upbeat and more than a little bit _out there_, she was paying attention to my responses, then replying with her own brand of wisdom.

Out of the blue she says, "Babies are a gift, Edward, and I know you want another one, but don't look a gift child in the mouth."

I had to think about it for a moment before I knew for sure that I had no cotton-picking idea what she was talking about. "Come again, Millie? You lost me on that one."

"Have you thought about adoption?" she said, turning to face me.

I looked at her through my periphery. "I don't know, I guess? Where is this coming from? Have you been talking to my mom?"

Millie laughed as she smoothed out her multi-coloured skirt. "Yeah, I suppose I have, if twice a day counts."

"You two are, like totally BFFs now, aren't you?"

I didn't need to see her smile to know that she was beaming. "Yes, I suppose we are. She and I are kindred spirits. I think we have been linked in previous lives."

"I see," I said, struggling to keep from laughing. Millie took that stuff very much to heart and although I might not believe it, I would never want to disrespect her.

The conversation shifted gears to talk of Alice, Jasper and the baby. I could definitely see that Alice's ADHD came to her honestly because Millie jumped all over the place conversation-wise. However quickly she had moved on, I was still somewhat stuck at what she'd said about adoption. Bella and I had discussed it in passing, but never really looked into it as seriously as maybe we should have. Maybe we were being greedy for wanting to concieve? Maybe it would be better for us to adopt and save Bella's body the strain of enduring a pregnancy.

This was something we would have to discuss further.

The house was still empty of guests when we arrived, which was great because it gave Millie and Alice a chance to talk before things got chaotic as they no doubt would.

Bella smiled at me, beckoning me to join her in the pool house. As soon as I entered, she shoved me into the storage room, up against the wall. Before I even had a chance to register what was happening, her hand was in my pants, stroking me into a state of serious hardness.

"B-Bella? What are you…oh god, don't stop…doing…?" I shuddered as she yanked down my shorts, sheathing my cock within the hot and wet confines of her mouth. After a couple of intense bobs of her head, my glistening cock popped out of her mouth as she continued pumping me with her hand.

"You looked stressed and I'm horny. We have time for a quickie before the crowd gets here."

"Uh, oh…" it finally dawned on me. "Lock the door. I don't want Jaden walking in on this."

Bella smiled as she planted a kiss on the tip of my cock before jumping up to lock the door. I rushed over to her, pulling her to me, kissing her roughly as I lifted her skirt and pushed her bikini bottom to the side so I could finger her for a second, priming her for me.

"Shit, Edward, do it now," she panted.

I wasted no time in fulfilling her wish, turning her around and bending her over a lawn chair and thrusting into her immediately and without hesitation. When she cried out, I moved a hand from her hip to cover her mouth to quiet the noises. My fingers were quickly taken into her mouth where she sucked in time with my thrusts, which were becoming more and more erratic.

"I'm going to come, Bella," I grunted as I leaned over her back, reaching my other hand around to finish her off. When she clenched, tightened and let out a muted grunt, I let go and filled her before resting on her for a brief moment.

"Thank you," she mumbled from beneath me, the vibrations causing my cock to jerk almost painfully before I pulled out.

I moved my weight off of her, moving her bottoms back into place and righting the clothes that lay askew on her body before turning my love around to face me.

"No, love, thank _you_. I needed that."

Small hands moved up my chest where they flattened out before she looked up at me. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

I nuzzled at her neck and smiled against her skin as I spoke. "Everything is just fine—OUCH!" I cried out as she pinched my ass. "What was that for?"

"For lying to me. We'll talk about this later."

Is it wrong that I secretly hoped that her short term memory would have a brain fart and she'd forget?

"C'mere, birthday boy," she growled before kissing me a gain, forcing her tongue into my mouth before retreating with a series of nips and bites to my swollen lips.

"Not my birthday," I grunted as the stirring began anew in my shorts.

"According to the invitations it is."

Reluctantly, I pulled back. "If you don't stop, I'm going to have to bend you over and fuck you senseless again."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" she teased.

The door rattled as someone tried to open the door. "Emmett? The door won't open."

Jaden! Shit.

Bella and I made quick work of putting ourselves back together as Emmett started pounding on the door. "Edward and Bella? I'm going to assume you're in there _looking for the air mattress_, right?"

I looked over to a bin near the door, spotting the item in question. "Yeah, Em, we found it."

"Could you please hurry and bring it out so we can inflate it for Jaden and the other kids?"

"Be right out, just looking for the…um…air pump," I scrambled, grabbing the pump and the mattress before Bella smirked at me and opened the door. Jaden grabbed the items from my hands and dashed off as Emmett glared at us.

"Dude, I'm all for a little afternoon delight, but really? In my pool house? While there are kids around? Use one of the guest rooms in the house next time."

I choked on a laugh. "When did you get so…so serious, Em?" I teased.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I've got something serious going on, so I kind of have to be. Speaking of serious, can I talk to you about something real quick?"

"Of course," I replied, concerned.

Bella moved to push past us. "I'll go check on…"

Em stopped her. "No, it involves you too, baby girl. Can we go closer to the pool? I need to keep an eye on the little guy."

We moved to a grouping of deck chairs so Jaden was within eyesight. "So, Em, what's up?" I asked, pulling Bella down onto a lounger with me.

"I need your help, guys. Something big happened this morning. Jenks called and the adoption hearing has been fast-tracked; we go to court in two weeks."

Bella jumped up and hugged Emmett. "That's awesome! What do you need from us?"

He looked really nervous when Bella stepped back and sat with me again. Shit, this couldn't be good.

"Remember how you mentioned before that you owed me one? And then we talked about you possibly allowing Alice to…ah helI. I need you to take one for the team, baby girl, baby bro. I need you to…I need you to agree to let Alice plan your wedding."

"Why?" I asked slowly.

"I want to marry Rosie before we go before the judge. There's no time for Alice to plan it and since Rosie promised to let her do it after we ambushed little one with her wedding…"

In a very unexpected move, Bella knelt before my brother, taking his hands in hers and holding them to her chest. "Yes. Undoubtedly yes. I promise to subject myself to Alice's tyranny when it comes to my wedding."

I choked, "What?"

"Emmett, you have made too many sacrifices over the years that have gone unnoticed or unrecognized, so I will gladly take one for the team, including the big ugly meringue dress, big flashy reception and cheesy wedding singer so you can marry our Rosie. It's really no sacrifice at all if it makes you guys happy. I'm thrilled to do it."

Wow, Bella was so sincere it would be easy to forget how anti-wedding she is. She had said that she just wanted something small, so for her to do this was huge. I got down on the ground beside her, pulling her into my arms. "Are you sure, love?"

"Unequivocally. Bring on the Bridezilla party planning."

Emmett smiled huge, hugging us both. "Thank you. You have no idea how happy you've made me."

A ruckus on the deck alerted us that more guests were arriving. Em pulled back, clearing his throat. "Let's keep this on the downlow okay? I love you, guys."

"It's my pleasure, and our," Bella motioned to both of us, "honour. We owe you so much, Emmett." We stood up smiling at him.

"Thank you."

He punched me playfully on the shoulder. "Let's get this party started."

Em walked away, leaving Bella and I there. I wrapped my arms around her. "Are you sure about this? Alice can get pretty intense."

"I know better than you do about Alice's intensity, and I've never been surer of something, Edward. If this is my chance to repay even the tiniest bit of all he's done for me, for us, then I'm in it 110%."

"You're brave, Bella."

"It's nothing, baby. Oh, hey look! It's Irina and Garrett and some of the support group gang! Hey! Irina!" she shouted to her mentor, waving to our friends.

I looked over in time to see Jaden struggling with the air mattress. I left Bella's side to help him. "Need a hand, Jaden?" I asked as I held onto the nearly airborn mattress. A breeze had come up and was threatening to blow both of them away.

"Yes, please."

I managed to get it into the water without either one of us taking an early dip. "There. Hey, do you want to come meet our friends?"

He looked warily over at the crowd. "Um, I'm not sure."

"Do you want to at least meet Irina? Bella's advisor?"

"The tea lady? Yeah, maybe," he said quietly.

"Let's get her over here and away from the crowd. You'll like her, she's really cool. Irina?" I called over to her.

She walked over toward us, her big skirt billowing in the breeze. "Hi, Edward." She gave me a big hug. "Who is your handsome friend?"

"Irina, I'd like you to meet Jaden MacDonald."

"Soon to be Cullen," he added brightly. "I'm being adopted in a couple of weeks and I'll be a Cullen like Edward and Emmett and Esme and Carlisle."

Irina smiled brightly. "That's fantastic news, Jaden. You must be very excited."

The little guy nodded. "I am. Did you bring your big bag of tea?"

She laughed. "I see Bella has been telling stories."

"Yes, but nothing bad, I promise. She loves you. Can I see the tea? Maybe, um, could I maybe try some?"

"Of course! Care to come to where my bag is? We can go through it and see what we find."

Jaden looked up at me. "Is that okay, Edward?"

"Of course. Irina isn't a stranger, she's a friend. You two have fun."

I watched them as they walked back to the larger group, amazed at how well Jaden had handled it. I hoped it lasted. I also hoped that the members of our support group wouldn't be triggered too badly by the little guy. I know that not everyone has been dealing well with the loss of their own children and being around other kids sometimes sets people off.

Bella and I were attending the meetings as often as we could manage, which wasn't nearly as often as we wanted to. There were a few new faces every now and then, but it had become a pretty solid group of regulars. I was happy to have some of them here at my party, away from the grief-heavy basement where we bared our souls at every meeting.

Sometime later, Rosie appeared on the top deck and I knew instantly that Emmett hadn't been able to keep his own mouth shut, and he'd spoken to her early. The glow radiating from her face spoke volumes and it warmed me to see her so happy. I knew that Emmett would do right by her and he had. Together they would get through whatever life threw at them and hopefully it would only be good things from here on out.

* * *

**There's more party to come. This chapter was getting long, so I decided to cut it here.**

**Yes, Sunnybubbles will be coming soon.**

**Hoory for the adoption hearing being bumped up! Jenks is amazing!**

**I'm almost at 1000 reviews for this story. As of the time of posting I only need 52 more. When I make it to 1000, whether it's this week or next, I will send out the next chapter to the lucky reviewer. It will likely be unbeta'ed and rough, but you'll get the general gist of things. )**

**Thank you so much for loving this story and getting involved in these characters' lives.**


	34. Chapter 32

**SM is the indisputable and benevolent owner of Twilight. I just like playing with her peeps.**

**Big thanks to Minna and Katmom who are my rocks in this stormy and blocky time.**

**Surprise at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

_**Alice**_

It is the undisputed truth that I am the party planning queen in our little group, and I don't feel the least bit vain for saying that—it's true, everyone will gladly back me up on this. So it would be easy to understand why I was struggling so much with being propped up like a beached Cleopatra whale and watching it all unfold around me.

My involvement in the planning had been minimal at best, which pained me greatly, but as I sat there, I just really wanted to get up and play hostess and social butterfly. Instead, my baby and body have betrayed me and I'm just too damn tired to do anything.

It's hard having everyone catering to my needs; I'm not used to it. I'm the one who looks after everyone else and this was not kosher with me.

Mom picked up on my mood and tried to placate and distract me from my melancholy, but it didn't work entirely as well as she hoped.

I had to admit, though, that Bella, Rosie, Esme and the boys had done a great job of planning and executing the event and everyone seemed to be having fun. Some of Bella and Edward's friends from the support group had come and brought their kids, so Jaden was having a blast playing with them in the pool as the parents looked on nervously.

It was hard to believe that I'd have a kid soon. Someday my little girl would be jumping in the pool and splashing around and I would be the nervous parent watching from the sidelines. I laughed at that thought because I knew that wouldn't be the case—Jasper would be the nervous uber-attentive parent while I would likely be the one throwing her into the pool or daring her to do flips off the diving board with me.

Would my laissez-fair attitude translate well to parenthood?

The table of gifts was piling up beside me and it was hard to keep from ripping the wrapping paper off to see what was inside. Rosie said that presents would be opened after dinner, which really seemed like such a long way off.

Mom kept bringing over food, trying to entice me to eat, and I kept setting it aside. I had incredibly bad heartburn and truth be told; I just wanted to go to bed.

"Baby, you're not feeling very well, are you?" Mom asked, running a cool hand across my forehead.

"No, not really," I conceded.

"The girls are worried about you and Jasper's ready to chew his fingers off. Do you want to go lie down for a while? You're feeling a little warm."

I nodded. The thought of being on a bed in air conditioning was beginning to seem incredibly appealing. Mom stood to help me up and as I straightened out, I felt a twinge in my back. "Oof, hold on, Mom."

Within seconds, the girls, mothers, and Jasper had all descended upon me.

"What is it? Is it the baby?" Jasper asked, worried.

I winced. "No, just a back spasm. I'm okay…I just need to lie down for a bit. I'm sorry."

And I did feel sorry, in fact, I felt just awful about it. Here was this beautiful party and I was too pregnant to play.

"Don't cry, Ali, we understand," Bella said quietly and sincerely. "Let's get you upstairs and settled down someplace quiet and cool."

I had been so focused on the pain in my back that I hadn't realized that I was crying. Stupid hormones. As much as I loved Sunny and enjoyed the earlier stages of pregnancy, this last month had changed me from a happy-go-lucky imp to a big, ugly old ogre.

The walk to the house was embarrassing—I felt like a spectacle, especially when everyone at the party watched it happen.

"Don't worry, sweetie, everyone's just concerned," Mom whispered as we entered the house.

"Why don't we set you up in the second guest room? It's furthest away from the noise. I'll just run ahead and turn on the vents for the air exchanger and turn down the bed."

"Thanks, Rosie. I appreciate it," I muttered as I tried to ignore the fresh wave of pain. Were these contractions I was feeling? Oh crap. Maybe I should have been paying more attention to the timing.

The next one hit just after I got settled on the bed. "Mom!" I cried out. "Get Jasper! Bella, come here."

Mom looked concerned, but followed my order. I rubbed my belly and panted through the pain as it receded.

"Bells, what does labour feel like?"

"_Really_ bad cramping, wh-?" she stopped, wide-eyed. "Do you think it's time, Alice?"

I couldn't help the tears as they streamed down my face. "I…I…I think so. I'm scared, Bells. Promise you'll be with me? Don't leave me, okay? I need you."

She crawled up beside me, nudging my head to rest on her chest. "I'm not going anywhere, Alice."

"I know this is totally selfish of me to ask you. I know it can't be easy, but I can't do this without you."

Bella sniffled. "It _is _hard; sweetie, but I really think that I need to confront this to get over Emma. I'm not leaving and I don't think you're being selfish at all. I'm your friend. This is what friends do. Now, when was your last contraction? We need to start timing them."

Jasper came flying into the room, his face full of panic. "Is it time?"

I nodded. "I think so."

I watched in horror as my husband turned white and passed out.

_**Jasper**_

Okay, okay, I may have fainted when she informed me that it was time, and I may have panicked, but in my defense it was good practice for the real thing because it turned out that it wasn't time and it was just false labour.

The party was still going on when we returned, but there were far fewer partiers remaining, which was nice. Alice didn't want to face a crowd; she was feeling embarrassed and mortified that she had overreacted. We waited until everyone but family remained, and went back out to open presents. Poor Alice cried through the whole thing.

Maybe it's the man in me, but I thought pregnant women were supposed to glow and be happy near the end. My poor wife was far from happy and instead of a healthy glow, she existed under a dark gloomy cloud.

Okay, that might have been an exaggeration; it had only been the past few days that she'd been feeling so lousy. I know work has been rough and I'm glad Dr. Butler ordered her to slow down. At least she listens to him, because lord knows she doesn't listen to me. I get huffy sighs and eye rolls.

"Jazzy?" she said quietly, taking my hand in hers. "I'm sorry."

I moved around her so she could lean back on me. "Don't apologize, darlin'. How were you supposed to know? It's not like you're a seasoned pro at pregnancy and labour."

"True," she sighed, lifting my hand to place a gentle kiss on my palm, "but that's not why I'm sorry. I'm apologizing for being such a bitch lately. I've been impossible to live with and I really am sorry."

I moved our hands to rest on her belly. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You're going through a lot, your body is changing and Sunny has been giving you a run for your money. Think nothing of it."

Bella approached our nest on the island with a present in hand. "How're you feeling now, Alice? Any more contractions?"

Alice shook her head no. "Just some mild cramping, nothing major."

"Good. Um, well, Edward and I got something for you and…well…" she looked really uncomfortable as she spoke. "Yeah, just open it."

It took no time at all for Alice to free the gift from its paper wrapping. Actually, it was _gifts_, and it was entirely too much. "Bella, we…we can't accept these, it's too much," I said, shocked.

Edward joined Bella, wrapping his arms around her, taking her hands in his. "Please, guys, accept this from us. It means a lot and I'm sure we don't have to explain the importance."

I held the video camera in my hand while Alice examined the new Canon Rebel camera.

"As ridiculous and mundane as it sounds," Bella began, "every moment is precious and fleeting. If we didn't have the photos and videos of Emma…"she trailed off, looking down at their entwined hands, "we wouldn't have a living piece of her with us.

"I'm not saying that anything is going to happen, but I want you to understand the importance of capturing the moments, both big and small, in case someday down the road you want to relive them for whatever reason."

I passed the video camera to Edward. "Please start now."

He released Bella, turned on the camera and motioned for me to begin.

"Hi, Sunny my sweet baby girl, this is Daddy and Mommy at the tail end of your baby shower. We had a bit of a false alarm today, although it looks like you aren't coming today, you'll be here soon enough.

"I can't wait to meet you because I already love you more than you can comprehend. You are my baby girl and I promise to do my best to be the best daddy you could ever want because you deserve to have the best daddy."

Alice squeezed my hand before she spoke. "Hi, Sunnybubbles, it's almost time for you to come and although I'm terrified, I'm still very excited to meet you. We are going to be the best of friends, I hope, just like me and your Nana Brandon.

"Speaking of family, you are being born into the most amazing family a girl could ever dream of. Hopefully they'll all introduce themselves on this tape so you can have a good laugh someday down the road."

Alice put our hands back on her belly, lacing our fingers together. "We love you so much and can't wait to meet you."

I watched as Bella wiped a tear from her eye and I understood the importance of the gift. In the blink of an eye she had lost her child, her parents, and all she had were memories preserved on video and in photographs.

"Can I get up, darling? I'm going to do something." Alice shifted with a grunt so I could move to get up. I took the camera from Edward and turned it on them. "Do you guys mind?"

"Not at all," Edward replied. "Hi, Sunnybubbles, I'm your uncle Edward. Everyone is excited to meet you, including me, the emo uncle."

Bella slapped him playfully. "Edward!"

"The beautiful woman beating me - your favourite uncle - right now is your amazing Aunt Bella. Bella? Care to say something?"

Bella scowled at him momentarily before turning to face the camera with a smile. "Hi, sweet little Sunny, I'm your Auntie Bella…wait, that sounds too much like antebellum, hmm…oh, I guess we'll go with Auntie B. So, hi again, I'm Auntie B and I want to tell you that you are one lucky little girl to have the mommy and daddy that you do, and that we all love you very much. You are our little sunshine and I can't wait to meet you. Rest up, little one, because your mommy will give you a run for your money."

Alice chuckled tearfully, holding out her arms for Bella, who joined her in the nest while I moved on to record someone else. Jaden ran over with Emmett hot on his heels.

"Whatchadoin', Jasper?" Jaden asked before letting out an eardrum piercing squeal as Emmett scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder.

"I'm making a video for the baby to watch someday. I'm getting everyone to record a message to her."

"Ooh! Even me?" he asked, smiling.

"We couldn't do it without you. Do you know what you want to say?"

He thought about it for a second before squirming around in Emmett's hold so he was facing me, clinging to Emmett's shoulder. "I'm ready now."

"Okay, in three, two, one…"

Jaden waved. "Hi, Sunnybubbles, I'm your cousin Jaden, or at least I will be your cousin in a couple of weeks when I get adopted by Emmett and Rosie. Did you know that I named you? Betcha didn't. You probably won't remember me singing to you when you were still in Alice's belly, but I did. Anyway, I can't wait until you come so I can hold you and sing to you and tell you stories." He blew a kiss at the camera. "Oh, wait! From one cousin to another I wanted to tell you that although the grown-ups in this family are a little crazy, it's good crazy, except for Emmett's farts, which Rosie says are crazy lethal. Everyone in this family is awesome and you're going to like being here with us. I love you! Muah!"

I smiled as he threw an air kiss toward the camera. "That was great, Jaden. Thank you."

He shrugged. "Meh, it wasn't my best work but it will do. Can you please put me down now, Emmett?"

Emmett tickled him. "Nope. What's the magic word?"

Through a fit of giggles he managed to squeak out a few words, including _have to pee_. Em put him down immediately. Jaden stuck out his tongue and instead of running to the bathroom, he ran over to where Bella and Alice were.

"Little bugger is getting too good at that," Em growled playfully. It was easy to see how much Emmett had come to love the little boy. "So, is it my turn?"

I nodded as I raised the camera and hit record. "Go ahead."

He smiled and waved. "Hi, kiddo, I'm your uncle Emmett and I'll be your favourite uncle because I'm the funnest one." He paused for a moment, looking confused. "Wow…I'm going to be an uncle again."

"You okay, Em?" I asked, hitting pause and lowering the camera.

It was easy to see that he was conflicted. "I…uh…sorry, just thinking about Emma. I wasn't sure I'd ever be an uncle again." He looked up and smiled at me. "Turn the camera back on. I'm ready."

He nudged me when I paused, so I raised the camcorder and hit record again.

"I'm going to be your favourite uncle because I'm fun and a little crazy and I know the best pranks to play. I'm also cuddly.

"Now," he grew serious, "you might change your mind when you're older and I start scaring away the boys who are chasing you. I'm only doing it because I love you and boys are bad."

"Hey, now, I'm a boy!" Jaden piped up in the background.

Emmett chuckled. "I didn't mean you, buddy. I'm talking about," his voice dropped to a more sinister tone, "evil teenage boys."

I tried not to laugh because it was making the camera shake. I reached out for a high five before turning the camera onto the two of us. "You heard your uncle, princess, no boys."

"Oh, give it up," Rosie said from behind us. She took the camera from me and turned it on herself. "Don't listen to those goofballs, kiddo. Boys aren't all bad and the women in your life will make sure you have all the tools you need to deal with them, like mace, a taser, and," she punched Emmett in the gut, "self-defense. Hi, kitten; I'm your aunt Rosie and your daddy's twin sister. Yes, I had to share a womb with him for nine months. I guess that makes me the expert and I have to say that you're a lucky little girl to have him as your daddy because he will love you so much that it might feel suffocating by times, but you will never ever feel unloved or unwanted." She moved over to put her arm around me as she continued, her voice beginning to break.

"Your daddy and mommy will give you the love that we didn't have and this whole big extended family will never let you down. We love you. Always. Oh, and Em and I are getting married next week."

There was a heartbeat or two of silence before all hell broke loose and the baby messages were all but forgotten after Rosie dropped her bomb.

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**Sorry...I know some of you will be annoyed that Sunny is still not here. I swear she's coming soon!**

**Now for the surprise...I am on the cusp of 1000 reviews and as a thank you, I'm going to double post this week. I'll post the next chapter as soon as it's ready instead of making you wait until next Thursday. **


	35. Chapter 33

**I had hoped to have this special _thank you for being such awesome readers and getting this bad boy to 1000 reviews_ chapter up on the weekend, but due to epic fail on both FF and  
Fred-e-Zone wi-fi's part, I'm late with this.**

**Anyway, I shan't keep you. SM owns, I don't. Minna+Katmom=awesomeness x a million.**

**I've been told this chapter is "sweet."**

* * *

_**Emmett**_

Rosie's announcement of our upcoming wedding put into motion a whirlwind of preparations. The girls immediately gathered at the island to discuss arrangements while we dudes stood by and drank beer. It was easier this way; they'd tell us what needed to be done and we'd do it when the time came. It was also safer to keep our distance—women rushing on a wedding high can be very dangerous creatures.

Jazz was the only one brave enough to approach the cackling hens to ask a very important question.

"Rosie, should I call Dad?"

With a grin and a nod from his twin, he pulled out his phone and walked over to the jungle gym to make his call. I breathed out a sigh of relief, even if I never would have dared to have asked, I was happy she said yes. Donald had a lot of ass-kissing to do to win over not only his children but their friends and the rest of our 'family', and this would be the ultimate test. His past shortcomings aside, every girl wants her daddy to walk her down the aisle, or across the yard, or what have you.

The days passed too quickly after that to really even grasp what was ahead of us with the upcoming wedding and more importantly, the adoption hearing. We had meetings with social workers to finalize the home study; pow-wows with Jenks and his people, who prepped us for meeting the judge; and sessions with a gaggle of therapists, both our usual ones and a court-appointed one who was there to analyze us, our situation and get a feel for Jaden's general psychological status.

It would be great if we could say that he didn't have any outbursts or bad days, but I would be lying. It was unfortunate that one happened in front of a court-appointed social worker on Thursday. Frankly, I don't blame him; he'd had to talk to so many strangers and I was so fucking proud of him for handling it as well as he did, but it seemed this particular rendezvous was the straw that broke the seven year-old camel's back.

I don't blame the therapist; in fact, we really liked her, a lot more than some of the others. She was kind and patient, and at first Jaden liked her, but then things went downhill very quickly.

"Jaden, do you want to tell me about your hobbies? Are there activities you enjoy doing?"

It was an easy enough question, but I knew we were in trouble when he rolled his eyes and said, "Stuff."

I sighed, shaking my head and mentally prepared myself for the upcoming storm. The therapist, Elizabeth, shook her head at me, warning me to step back.

"Are you upset with me, Jaden? Have I done something wrong?" she asked gently, moving to sit closer to him on the kitchen floor.

He shrugged as he continued building a ship out of Lego. "I'm just tired."

"Do you need a nap? Should I come back later?"

Jaden stood up. "No, I'm not _that_ tired, I'm tired of talking, I'm tired of the same questions all the time. I'm tired of all the different people asking the same things. Don't you people talk to each other?" He moved over to look out the patio doors. "When is this going to be over?"

Elizabeth got up and moved closer, but still kept her distance. I could tell that she had done this a million times. "I'm sorry you're feeling tired of all this, but it's important; the judge needs to know that he is making the right decision by putting you with this family."

"Then why is he so lazy?" Jaden replied quietly as he flew his spaceship around, making quiet engine noises as he did so.

"I'm not sure I understand," she said, a slight twitch of a smile on her lips. "What do you mean that he's lazy?"

"He could try asking me himself instead of sending everyone else to do his job."

She looked at me and smiled. I grinned back. Jaden's no fool and he proved it again at that moment.

"Well then, what would you say to him? Can you pretend that I'm the judge? I'd love to hear what you have to say."

Again, Jaden proved his intelligence. "No, because you _aren't_ the judge and I don't want to waste my breath." He walked toward the hallway. "Peace out!" He held up two fingers as he left the room.

I looked at Elizabeth, shocked. "I've never seen him do that—I don't know where he—wait!" I called out as I realized he was walking away. "Jaden, buddy, get your butt back in here. We're not done."

"I am," he called out.

"I don't think so." I went after him, beating him to the stairs. "Dude, don't ruin this, please. Do you want the judge to grant the adoption? Do you want to stay with us? Belong to us?"

Big tears formed in his eyes. "Yes."

"Can you please come and talk to Elizabeth? At least try? We're all tired of the questions and the meetings and everything, but I promise it'll be over soon. We just have to get through a few more of these and we'll be done. We need you to do this, buddy. Please."

He wrapped his arms around my legs. "I'm out of words, Emmett."

I picked him up, carrying him to the living room where I sat us down in the rocking Lazy Boy. I rubbed his back while he cried.

"I'm sorry, buddy, I really am. I wish this was all over, but we're almost there. One more week and it will be done."

"N…no more th…therapists?"

"Well, you'll still see Dr. Scott until your head stops feeling so jumbled up, but you won't have to see the others."

He hiccupped. "Okay, but I don't understand why they want to make me cry and why they all have to ask the same questions. It's flusterating."

I hugged him tighter. "It's just like Elizabeth said; the judge is sending his best people to come visit so they can tell him whether or not Rosie and I are able to take good enough care of you. They want to make sure you're safe and happy. It's very important work that Elizabeth does. She's the eyes and ears of the judge."

"I just don't get it. Of course we belong together, Emmett. Why wouldn't we? I don't want the judge to think we don't. I can't leave you. I want to be your little boy. I want you to be my Emmett. I love you and Rosie. Don't let them take me away. I'll be good." He was starting to panic again. I gently rubbed his back and spoke to him in quiet, hushed tones.

"I love you too, buddy, and we'll make this work."

Elizabeth walked in, smiling. "I don't think the judge will keep you apart. You do belong together. I know I'm supposed to be impartial, but you guys have my support. I'd like to meet with Rosalie, though. When will she be back?"

I looked at my watch. "Jeez, they're late, aren't they? They're picking up Rosie's wedding dress. I'll call her, see where they are."

Elizabeth smiled. "Believe it or not, I'm not in a hurry. Actually, what I'd really like to do is go check out that awesome jungle gym out back. Jaden, would you show me?"

He perked up a little. "Can I take her out?"

I nodded. "I think that's a great idea. Maybe you could tell Elizabeth about Lily."

Well, that got him. He jumped up, gave me a kiss on the cheek and ran off toward Elizabeth, taking her hand and babbling about his best friend. She looked back and winked before they turned the corner. That one gesture was enough to make me release the breath I had been holding.

Rose ran in, breathless and dragging a garment bag behind her. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

I met her in the hall. "It's okay, babe, they're out back. It's been…well…"

The items in her hands dropped to the floor. "Did he have a meltdown?"

I nodded. "He's reached the end of his rope in the patience department. I don't blame him."

Rose wrapped her arms around me. "Did he scream? Did he rock? Did he hit?"

"He said _peace out_, flipped us the peace sign, and walked out."

I felt her chuckle against my chest. "Where the hell is he learning this shit?"

"I have no clue."

"Then what happened?"

"He cried. I took him to the rocker and we had a chat. He's feeling better now. Elizabeth…"

"Oh god," she groaned, "she caught the whole thing, didn't she? We're toast."

"Au contraire, she was impressed. We've got her support. She just wanted to meet you. I also think she wanted a little more time with Jaden. He's taken her to the jungle gym to show it off. I also told him to tell her about Lily; I figured it would get him talking."

"How'd you get so smart, Emmett Cullen?" Rosie purred as she rose up on tiptoes to plant a kiss on my lips.

"Good genes, I guess."

She slumped against me, exhaling loudly. "I'll be glad when this is over."

"Me too. Come on; let's get this stuff off the floor." I kissed the top of her head before releasing her to pick up the garment bag. A slap across my hand stopped me.

"Step. Away. From. The. Dress." While I could see the amusement in Rose's eyes, her tone and posture gave every hint that she was serious.

I did as ordered and snickered to myself as my blushing bride-to-be gathered up her purchases. I couldn't help but notice a Victoria's Secret bag and did an inner fist bump with my libido. The honeymoon would be short, but it would be hot and sweet if I had my way.

_**Jaden**_

Miss Elizabeth turned out to be okay after all. Turns out she has a little boy my age who would go crazy over my jungle gym. I made sure to show her everything in case she ever decided to build one for him. She got up on it with me and followed me everywhere. Most grown-ups don't bother.

I grabbed a couple of juice boxes from one of the towers and gave it to her. "I hope you like cran-apple. I have to keep my pee healthy so I drink a lot of cranberry stuff."

"Thanks," she said smiling, "that's very nice of you. I was feeling pretty thirsty."

I smiled at her. "My mommy taught me to have good manners."

"She certainly did."

We sat on the suspension bridge and dangled our legs over the edge while we sipped on our juice.

"I, um, I didn't mean to…to freak out on you earlier. It was rude. Sometimes it's too much, you know? Too many people, too many questions. I'm tired of it all. Haven't I been through enough already?"

"Yeah, kiddo, you have," she said, sounding kind of sad. "Would it matter if I said that everyone was just trying to do their job?"

I sighed and rested my forehead on the rope railing. "Yeah, but it just makes it harder on us kids. It's a lot, you know. Just when I feel like I might be normal again, something happens and I freak out."

"What do Emmett and Rosalie do when you freak out?"

"They hug me. They make sure I know that they love me. They always say that I need more love when I'm having a bad day, and Esme, that's Emmett's mom, she says that love can fix just about anything."

"She sounds pretty nice. Do you think she's right that love can fix just about anything?"

"Mostly, but love can't bring back my mommy and daddy."

I felt the big lump in my throat and I knew I was going to cry again. Miss Elizabeth put her arm around my shoulders. "You miss them a lot, don't you?"

"Every day. Bella says that in time I won't be as sad when I think about them and that soon the happy memories will take over for the bad ones. She knows how I feel because her parents and her baby girl are dead."

"Bella is Edward's fiancée?"

I nodded. "Bella helps me a lot and she helps Lily because she was in a coma before too. Bella knows a lot."

"She sounds very special to you."

"I love her. I mean, I love them all, but if Emmett and Rosie decided that I was too messed up I would want Bella to adopt me because she understands me best of all and because she has Fred."

"Who is Fred?"

"A cat. He's awesome except when he sticks his butt in my face."

Miss Elizabeth smiled. "It sounds to me like you hit the jackpot with your new family. Are you sure this is who you want to be your parents? Do you want to become Jaden Cullen? You do realize that you don't have to say yes; we can find another family for you."

My heart started to race and I started to feel dizzy. "No, please don't take me away from them. I love them. I belong with them, with all of them. Please, I'm begging you, don't take me away."

"Shh, calm down, sweetie, I'm not going to take you away from them. I just wanted to make sure you understood that there are other parents out there who would take you."

I couldn't calm down. I was breathing hard and my ears were ringing and my chest was hurting.

"Emmett…"I gasped.

Miss Elizabeth slid through the ropes until she was on the ground. She pulled me down and carried me to the house. I'm glad I'm light because I couldn't have walked. I closed my eyes and tried counting backwards like Dr. Scott said to do when I felt like this. It was helping a little but my heart was going crazy.

"Jaden buddy, can you open your eyes?" Emmett asked quietly.

I peeked at him and saw Rosie there. I held my arms out to her.

"Hi, buddy, come on, let's get you calmed down. Do you need a pill?" she asked as she took me in her arms.

"Gritty kitty," I mumbled. I didn't like the pills that went under my tongue; they were kind of gritty like kitty litter. They laughed the first time I told them, but it was true.

Emmett got a pill and told me to open up, which I did, and in a few minutes I was feeling a little better. Rosie rocked me and hummed while Emmett and Miss Elizabeth spoke quietly.

"Feeling better?" Rosie asked.

"A little. Thanks."

"What happened? Do you want to talk about it?"

I liked how they always asked if I wanted to talk instead of just making me do it. "Yeah, it was kind of stupid," I said, yawning. "She asked if I wanted different parents. I kinda freaked out. I'm okay now, but I'm tired. I think I need to lie down."

"Do you mind if Emmett takes you up? I need to talk to Miss Elizabeth for a bit."

"That's cool. I love you, Rosie."

She nuzzled my ear, making me giggle. "I love you more, little buddy."

Emmett came over after that and piggy-backed me up to my room. We lay on the bottom bunk for a while talking about the wedding and about what song I wanted to sing. I think I fell asleep humming.

_**Rosalie**_

I watched as the two owners of my heart went up the stairs. Part of me was desperate to run after them until I knew that Jaden was okay, but the more logical side prevailed, reminding me that I had much more important business to attend to down here. I turned to Elizabeth and smiled sadly. "Sorry."

"Whatever for, Rosalie?" she looked confused.

"Would you like some tea? I know I could use a cup right about now."

"Please, tea sounds wonderful. Really, though," she followed me into the kitchen, "why are you sorry?"

"Well," I said, grabbing the kettle and moving to the sink to fill it, "I'm late and you had to witness not one, but two meltdowns."

"Psh, let's talk woman to woman here, Rosalie."

"Rose or Rosie, please. Rosalie seems so formal."

"Rosie, then," she continued, "I'm not that much older than you are and I remember juggling a child and wedding planning. I was surprised you made it when you did; according to Emmett he figured the girls had dragged you to hell and back."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Not quite, but he's close. My sister-in-law, Alice, is nine months pregnant and even though she swore last week she couldn't make it to the bathroom without needing a nap on the way, she sure perked up at the mention of a wedding and shopping."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Maybe her nesting phase will be a party planning one."

"No doubt. Sunny will be born with a clipboard in her hands. What kind of tea would you like? Bella has me well stocked." I opened the cupboard and watched as her jaw dropped.

"Wow, you could open up a tea house here. I guess I'd like to try the…ooh, peach mango please. That sounds refreshing."

"It's edible. Do you want it bagged or loose?"

She took a look at the tin I was holding. After taking a deep breath and humming happily, she smiled. "Both, I think."

I smiled. "Good choice."

Once the tea was ready, we grabbed our mugs and moved to sit in the living room. "This is amazing tea," she said, sighing. "I need to find out where she got this."

"I'll write down the details for you before you leave."

"So, Rosie, I just need to ask some standard questions so my boss can't say that I didn't do my job." She pulled out a clipboard and asked the usual questions; my name, age, date of birth, place of birth, parents' names, siblings, etc. We talked about school and my recent awards at graduation.

"Seems like you knew where you wanted to be, like your life was mapped out and you had a very clear direction in mind. Are you prepared to put these aspirations on hold to raise a special needs child?"

"You make it sound like I'm giving up my dreams for Jaden," I said, confused.

She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Well, aren't you?"

I thought about it for a second. "No. Not really. I'm gaining so much more having him in my life. I'd give it all up in a nanosecond for him. If he's not ready to go back to school in the fall then I'll stay home and home school him if we can't sort something out. My aspirations, as you put it, aren't nearly as important to me as the little boy upstairs is. He's my life now.

"If you had told me even six months ago that I'd be filing for adoption for a broken little boy and putting things I had planned to do on hold, I'd have called you crazy." I paused to sip at my tea. "I grew up in a home devoid of love. My mother is a bitter, heartless shrew and my father the world's biggest pushover. I had my twin brother Jasper and my grandfather and that was about it. I spent my life trying to be good enough so Mama would love me. I studied business initially because _she_ wanted me to. Well, it didn't work because she _never_ loved me and I was left empty, broken and wondering what I did wrong, stumbling down her path, not my own."

Elizabeth put her hand on mine in a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry, Rosie."

I squared my shoulders. "I'm not. Not anymore. I met Emmett and he broke through and found me, the real me, and not Mama's Rosalie. Then, when I thought everything couldn't be more perfect, along comes Jaden who showed me how incomplete my life actually was. I don't need to be anyone but myself now because they love me as I am.

"I'm not saying that I don't want to open a women's only garage because I do. It's just that my priorities have shifted for the moment; and until I know that I have the time and ability to balance my family with business, my family comes first."

"Jaden has a long road ahead of him, Rosalie. Are you able to stick by him when the meltdowns don't magically disappear after six months? A year? Two? Twenty? Parenting is a lifetime commitment."

I nodded. "I am more prepared than ever before. I know I haven't had the best maternal influence growing up, but I have the best mother role model in my life now. She has helped me through many of the rough patches we've encountered."

"Who is that?"

I couldn't help my smile. "Esme Cullen. I hope you can meet her because she is the most amazing woman I've ever met.

"She ran here, leaving her husband Carlisle back in Forks, to help us when we got the call about Jaden. She has put her business on hold to be here for us. If I can be one tenth of the mother she is, I will be okay."

Elizabeth smiled. "Maybe I'll get to meet her at the hearing."

"I hope so. You'll love her."

"I'm glad Jaden has you and your extended family. He speaks so highly of everyone, including Fred." She chuckled. "He told me about Lily and I had a few questions about that. Does he understand that she may not be _normal_, even when she's more fully out of the coma? Are you prepared to deal with that?"

"There won't be any need. He will love her no matter what capacity at which she's able to function when she's more fully conscious. Her coma has never been an issue for him.

"That's one of the amazing things about the little boy upstairs; he passes no judgment and accepts things and people as they are. If Lily never gets better than she is right now, he will still be her friend, he will still go read to her, he will help her therapists with her stretching.

"But don't believe for one moment that she will be frozen forever. He has helped her progress exponentially. His presence soothes her so they can work with her easier. Jaden has been the reason for most of her recent progress. Peter, her father, and Luc, her physiotherapist, will vow to that."

I wiped at a tear in my eye. "There's magic in that broken little boy, Elizabeth; he heals us, breathes life into us, he makes us want to be better because he knows we can be. Jaden MacDonald is an angel who was sent to help a family of broken souls mend. As awful as it sounds, I'm glad things turned out the way they did, because that little boy has saved us all."

I was full-on crying at that point. "I'm sorry, I just love him so much and we've been so scared that we're going to lose him."

Elizabeth wiped her own tears away. "I know, Rosie. It's easy to see that the three of you were made for each other. If would be a crime to separate you, so you've got my support."

There was no way I wasn't going to hug the shit out of her after hearing that. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Just promise me you'll be patient with him and that's thanks enough for me. It takes a brave couple to take on a child with Jaden's special needs. Most people twice your age wouldn't be able to endure it."

"We love him and we'll get him through it. It's what family does."

Elizabeth pulled back and smiled. "I should get going. I have this urge to go give my own little guy a hug."

I returned her smile as I stood. "Let me get that tea information for your first."

* * *

**You survived the sweet, I see. Minna said that it was _really_ sweet and if she finds something sweet, then chances are, it's on the cusp of being a risk to diabetics.**

**Thank you for getting this story over the 1000 review mark. It means so much to me that so many of you have taken this journey with me and these characters.**

**I also wanted to tell you that I've written up "The day that changed everything" and am donating the O/S to Fandom Fights Mental Illness.  
I had initially thought I would submit something else, but Bella was feeling talkative and everything seemed to flow. So, if you want to read about what happened before the car accident that took Emma, Charlie and Renee, please donate to support mental illness. **

**For more information about Fandom Fights Mental Illness and how you can help, please go to: http : / / findingyourvoice DASH ffmi DOT blogspot DOT com**


	36. Chapter 34

**I realize today isn't Thursday, although I wish it were...I hate to wish away the time, but on the cusp of a four-day weekend, I'm praying for Thursday!**

**My posting schedule is off a wee bit, but I figured since you had two chapters last week you wouldn't mind as much if I was a little late. RL has a way of getting in the way sometimes and your patience is greatly appreciated.**

**Really exciting and wonderful news at the end.**

**Oh, and be warned...tharrr be a lemon in herrre...at the end...**

* * *

_**Edward**_

I knew that Rose and Em wanted to keep the wedding simple, but we couldn't have a music-free event, not when I was around, and I knew that Jaden was excited to sing something for them too. He and I had been secretly planning something in the time we could steal, which meant that we had to be all stealth and super ninja-like.

Jaden had a brilliant idea early in the week leading up to the wedding, but because of several pre-adoption appointments with social workers and psychiatrists, we'd had to wait until Thursday before we could get a big block of time to practice. He had suggested that we do it at the rehab centre so he could sing for Lily. After clearing things with Peter and the staff, I packed up my keyboard and headed over to pick him up. Bella was with me because she wanted to visit with Peter and Lily and to act as a decoy because I'd never taken Jaden to the rehab by myself; it was something that Bella often did, though, so no one was any the wiser.

Unbeknownst to me, they had cleared a lounge for us to set up in and had invited some of the other patients to listen in. As soon as everything was set up and Jaden had wheeled Lily next to the keyboard, he asked if I knew any songs from _The Little Mermaid_.

"It's Lily's favourite movie," he said, smiling at her.

I began playing _Under the Sea_ and Lily squealed joyfully.

"See! She loves it!" He clapped happily before he started singing and dancing around. I was happy to see how engaged Lily was, and had to laugh when other people began singing along, kids and adults alike.

I knew most of the classic Disney songs because Emma had loved them so much. It used to pain me to play then, but seeing how this music affected the people around me, I couldn't help but feel joyful.

Wheelchairs moved back and forth and in circles, limbs often jerked and punched at the air, and the lyrics were often garbled by paralyzed mouths, but their eyes said it all, they were all happy and I was part of the reason. It filled my heart and pushed me further.

Bella was twirling Lily around in her wheelchair while Jaden danced with a little girl who used a walker to get around. Orderlies were doing the twist for the stroke patients too twisted in their bodies to do it themselves.

I played a vast array of requests for the residents and staff before I mentioned that Jaden and I needed to come up with a song for him to sing at the wedding. "I had a couple of new ideas, buddy. Want to hear them?"

"Yes, please."

Bella and I had been wracking our brains to come up with something and when she suggested _Thank You_ by Led Zeppelin, I knew we had a potential winner. It was a simple melody and would be easy for Jaden to learn. I began to play and sing for him.

_If the sun refused to shine_

_I would still be loving you_

_When mountains crumble to the sea_

_There will still be you and me…_

Jaden's eyes lit up as he listened intently. I sang through to the first chorus then passed him a sheet with the lyrics. Because he had a most incredibly fine-tuned ear, I had no worries about his pitch or being able to carry the melody, I was more worried about him learning the lyrics in such a short time. We only had two days to do this and I prayed that he would be able to memorize at least some of it. Worst case scenario would be for him to need a sheet, but even then, that wasn't a big deal.

I knew Emmett would love this—he and I went through this big classic rock phase in high school and he had always loved this song when I played it.

Jaden's sweet, clear voice sang the next lines as if they had been written just for him to sing.

_Little drops of rain whispers on the pane_

_Tears of loves lost in the days gone by_

_My love is strong, with you there is now wrong_

_Together we shall go until we die_

I added a quiet _my my my_ as we continued. I came in with a harmony and was happy with the result; our voices blended perfectly. Bella stood off to the side smiling, tears in her eyes.

"They are going to love it," she said, hugging us both when the song ended.

"Edward, that was so pretty. Can you put it on my iPod so I can listen to it later to learn the words?"

"Sure can. Now, the next question is should we do piano or guitar?"

He thought about it. "Guitar would be pretty. Can we try later? Can I come over for supper?"

Bella smiled. "I'll call and ask. Why don't you two try it one more time and then play something more upbeat; the crowd is losing steam."

As soon as Bella was out of earshot, we sang it again, this time Jaden read the words from the sheet. It was clear it would be a lot for him to learn in such a short period of time, so we broke it up into parts, reducing the amount of memorization he'd have to do by half.

A banging noise nearby alerted us to a clearly irritated Lily. Jaden moved over to her. "What's wrong, Lily? Do you want more music?"

She squeezed his hand, making him wince. "Okay, okay. Edward, what should we sing for Lily now?"

We played for another half hour and much to everyone's chagrin began packing up shortly after the last song. A woman approached me, extending her hand. "Hi there, I'm Nikki and I'm one of the program administrators here at the centre. Thank you so much for coming in and playing for the residents. I haven't seen some of them look so happy or respond to stimuli like this in a long time, if ever."

I blushed. "Thank you. It was a lot of fun. I'd like to come again sometime if that's okay?"

A huge smile lit up her face. "Would you really? We've been struggling to find people to come in and play, especially during the summer months. Music can be so beneficial to the residents with brain injuries; it seems to unlock them and it's a great way to stimulate them. Your friend Lily is a good example. Her movements today were a huge improvement, and it's been noted in her file that she responds better to music than speech.

"It would be a huge blessing to everyone if you would consider returning."

"We will, Nikki, I promise. Jaden is here a lot with Lily and I think we could probably work something out. I'd also be willing to work with patients by teaching basic piano. I'm finishing up my music education degree and I remember reading somewhere that it can be a great exercise for people with motor skill impairments, and good for those with memory issues."

"Have you got a moment? I'd like to get you to fill out the required volunteer paperwork so a background check can be done. You understand that it's just standard protocol, right? Sometimes potential volunteers get freaked out by the formalities."

"Not a problem. I'll have Bella keep an eye on the kids—"

"Oh! Are you Bella's Edward?"

I looked at her, confused. "You know Bella?"

She grinned. "I sure do. I was her occupational therapist when she was a resident here. We're all very proud of her. She worked so hard to get to where she is now—she really put me through my paces, though. I was fairly new when Bella moved over and there were days when I thought she was going to slap me silly.

"Anyway, if you'll come with me, we can get things started."

"Actually, I had a criminal background check done recently because my brother Emmett is adopting Jaden. I don't think it would take much to get another one done."

A wistful look overcame her. "Your brother is something else. He put in more hours here than anyone else, even the staff. Jaden is a very lucky little boy to be getting such a caring and attentive new father."

Her words cut me straight through to the core—they served as yet another reminder that my brother was here and I wasn't when Bella needed me most. Instead of letting it upset me, I let it be fuel to keep me motivated to return and play for these people again. I may not have been here for Bella, but I could be here for someone else.

A new fire burned within me, it was one of redemption, and I made a silent promise to do whatever I could to make up for my past indiscretions. If doing what I love to do is penance, then God is much kinder than I initially believed him or her to be.

Jaden and I tried the song again with the guitar while dinner was cooking and we decided that it sounded better than the piano. I showed him a few chords while we played around and he was delighted to strum while I moved my fingers over the frets with each chord progression.

"When my arm is totally better, will you show me again?" he asked as he strummed.

"Of course! I'd love to."

"And you'll keep teaching me the piano?"

"Sure will."

"Thanks. I really like music, it makes me feel better. It makes my heart happy. It…it makes the sads go away for a while. It's kind of like a…" he struggled to find the right word, "…relief?"

"Music is very important."

He nodded sagely. "It makes Lily better too. Peter said so. Oh, hey! Can we record a CD for Lily someday so she can always have music?"

I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "We can. I think it's a fantastic idea. In fact, since you are staying with us on the night of the wedding, why don't we do it then?"

He hopped up and threw his arms around my neck. "Thank you! You're the best!"

I blushed at his outburst. "I wouldn't say that, but thanks. Why don't we make a list of songs to put on the CD after supper? We can call Peter to see which ones we might have missed."

"Awesome! Can I call him right now?"

Bella peeked her head around the corner. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes, so make it fast."

"I need to get Peter's number from Em…"

Bella cut me off by passing over her phone. "He's in there."

Jaden and I put him on speakerphone while we discussed music, throwing around some ideas. We ended the call when we had a list of ten of Lily's favourite songs that we both knew.

We ran through the song for the wedding a couple more times after supper before I had to take Jaden home. He was excited about it, and even more thrilled that I had put it on his iPod.

"Don't let them know, okay? This is a surprise," I reminded him before we left the house.

"I promise, Edward."

I dropped him off to a house of chaos. I was going to offer to keep him tonight as well, but Rosie was so happy to see him that I didn't want to interfere.

"Thanks," Emmett said quietly. "Rosie's had a tough day. It's good that he was with you guys but she really needs him right now. He centers her."

My brother's usually unflappable resolve seemed to be cracking somewhat. I put my arm around his shoulder. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, it's just hard, you know? It'll be easier when things calm down—pulling off a wedding and the adoption in such a short period of time is really wearing on her."

"Bella and I are here for you whenever and however you need us. Remember that, okay?"

He nodded. "I got it. We're just tired out."

"It'll be over soon. Are you guys still planning on going away after the adoption is finalized?"

My brother smiled. "Hell yes. I've rented a cabin on a lake and the three of us are going to have some much needed R&R as a family. We're leaving the day after the adoption."

I squeezed him. "Good. You deserve a break." I pulled out my phone to check the time. "Shit, I have to go, Bella's waiting for me."

Emmett made some bow-chica-wow-wows and nudged me. "Baby making time?"

"Maybe." My face burned red out of mortification.

"Are you blushing, Eddie?"

Turning away from him, I denied it as I moved to say goodbye to Jaden.

"Edward, why is your face all red?" Jaden asked.

Emmett howled with laughter behind me. I shook my head and put out my fist to Jaden. "I'm outta here, kiddo. I'll talk to you tomorrow so we can plan Lily's surprise."

Instead of bumping my fist in return, he reached his arms out for a hug, which I gladly gave him. "You're the best, Edward. I'm glad we're family and I'm even happier that you're my friend," he whispered as I held him tightly.

"Right back atcha, Jaden."

He planted a kiss on my cheek. "Talk to you tomorrow."

I left before I could break down. As soon as I got into the car, the tears came. I was so moved by this little boy's capacity to love without question and his ability to heal not only my broken heart, but everyone's. Every day I wondered if maybe Emma had sent him to me.

I knew in that moment that I had my answer.

It was a resounding yes.

_**Bella**_

Edward had been gone longer than I had expected and I was starting to worry. I didn't want to be one of those worrywart women who cling to their men like leeches because that's not who I am, but I was starting to get worried.

Or maybe I am? I had managed to be a strong independent woman for years without him, then he comes back and it almost feels like I've lost a part of that. Or had I? Maybe I had incorporated the two, or transferred on him what the girls used to give me. I mean, I wasn't relying on them nearly as much as I used to, and to be honest, my limitations were a little more pronounced since that mess at Halloween.

I hate getting stuck in my brain. Sometimes it's not the best place to be, so I was thankful when I heard keys in the door.

"Edward? I'm in the living room."

I listened as he took off his shoes; left one first, then the right. I waited to hear the jangling of the keys as he hung them on their hook by the door, and then for the soft padding of his socked feet as he walked toward me.

"Hi b…" I started to say, but stopped when I saw that his eyes were puffy and red, and his usually pale face was blotchy and tear-stained. "Edward, what's wrong?

He flopped onto the couch and lay with his face toward my stomach, wrapping his arms around me. "Hold me, please."

I pulled him closer, trying to embrace him as best I could from the position we were in. After a few uncomfortable moments, I resigned myself to running my fingers through his hair as he cried softly.

"Please talk to me, Edward; you're scaring me."

I let him continue until he stopped on his own. He turned his face so he could look at me. "It's been an emotional day for me. Being at the rehab for so long was a real eye-opening experience, a humbling one, and it also made me feel like a complete and utter asshat."

"Why?"

"Because I realized the extent of what I left you to endure by yourself. I should have been there with you instead of my brother. My god, Bella, I don't understand how you could ever forgive me for that!"

New tears ran down his face. I wiped them away with my thumbs. "I forgave you because I love you."

It was breaking my heart watching him unravel like that. I thought we were through with this; I didn't want him regressing back to the place where he was moping and beating himself up on a daily basis.

"What's past is past, Edward. We've both worked too hard to return to the self-loathing and self-flagellation stage."

He chuckled a little. "Good thing Em's not here—he would have heard flatulation and not flagellation."

I swatted him gently before leaning down to kiss his head. "Edward, what matters is right now. You are here now and," I twirled my engagement ring on my finger, "you promised me forever, and that's good enough for me."

He pulled my ring finger down to place a gentle kiss upon it. "I meant every word of that promise."

"Then take the energy you're putting into feeling like an asshat and put it into helping others. Maybe it will help you finally get rid of that guilt."

His green eyes seemed even greener as he peered up at me through long wet eyelashes. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you more, Edward."

"Mm…I don't think that's possible," he teased, a lopsided smirk appearing on his face.

"I," leaning down, I placed a quick succession of kisses on his awaiting lips, "beg to differ."

The last kiss lingered as his hands moved up to tangle in my hair. The position wasn't overly comfortable so I shimmied down as we continued to kiss, our lips heating up with each pass. When I was lying on my side, my back against the couch, my front pushed against his, his hands roamed my body more freely, igniting my skin with each touch.

Bare hands on bare skin, under shirts, delving into pants, diving beneath underwear, we created an inordinate amount of heat. Maybe that's how I eventually lost my clothes? They combusted? It didn't matter, what did matter was how he worshipped my body with a reverence I'd never seen before. Just when I thought I had witnessed the peak of his passion, the limits of his lust, the depths of his desire, I felt as if I was seeing it all with new eyes.

My body reacted in both a biological and kinetic way; hot dampness pooled between my legs and I found myself drawn even closer to him. His kisses continued to make love to my mouth as his right hand slid down my arm, over my hip, down my thigh and behind my knee, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. My breathing became embarrassingly loud and frantic as he slowly hitched my leg up over his hip and I could feel him nudging against my bare sex.

"Please," I panted as his cock slid up and down in my wetness, teasing me but never breaching my entrance. I moved to help him along.

"Uh-uh," he grunted, slapping my wandering hand away. "What do you want?"

I held his head in my hands, kept his gaze as I rocked against him, then bit his lip gently. "Love me."

"Mm…" his eyes rolled back as he just barely slipped inside. "I already do."

Nipping at his earlobe, the one place that I knew would push him to finally drive into me, I breathed heavily. "Make love to me."

When his eyes focused on mine again, their intensity threatened to overtake me. "As you wish."

The initial push and pull of our lovemaking was slow, languid, liquid. It overwhelmed me—the intimacy of our position, the closeness of our bodies, the sinuous slow motion of his thrusts, of my counter thrusts, the burning eyes, the exchange of oxygen from one pair of lungs to another.

A slight shift of my leg over his hip drew him even deeper; the ridge of his cock dragged deliciously over the magical, mystical, and oh-so not mythical g-spot, sending my body into the stratosphere. My movements sped up, my hands moving to his ass, pulling him closer and faster as I sought my release.

Another shift and I was lost, my body bearing down so hard I worried I would crush him or send him shooting across the room. My voice was hoarse, my words muddled, but I came screaming, followed shortly afterward by my lover, my life. I could feel him pulsing inside me and my heart fluttered.

"I love you, Edward. Oh god, I love you."

Edward's head nestled in the crook of my neck, his breaths hot, wet, and fast against my skin. I knew words were failing him and I also knew without a doubt that he felt the same when his arms held me tightly.

It was another one of those moments I wanted to have forever etched in my brain, one of those that I hoped would never dissolve when my short term memory failed. Inhaling, I memorized the scent of sex; of Edward's natural musk mixed with my own and the co-mingling pheromones unique to us. I ran my hands slowly over his body, through the light sheen of sweat now covering him. I clenched my pelvic muscles, inciting a grunt from him, so I could remember the feel of him inside me, and even in a flaccid state, he was still my perfect fit.

This was an intensely intimate and blissful moment and it was _ours_. No one could or would ever take that away.

I allowed myself to fall asleep in that perfect moment and dreamed of the many more to come.

* * *

**Nothing like a good steamy lemon to preface some exciting news...well, I think it's exciting.**

**Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and our favourite little fella, Jaden, have all been nominated for a _Sunflower Award_! How exciting is that? I'm pretty thrilled about the whole thing. So, I'm going to count on you guys to get out there and vote for your favourites when the voting opens.**

**Also nominated for _Sunflower Awards_ for Best Beta are my incredibly awesome, wicked, wonderful, and sweet betas, Katmom and Minnakoda. If it weren't for them, you likely wouldn't like this story very much, so if you have some love for them, please throw some votes their way. They deserve to be recognized for all of their hard work...which lately has been a lot...me pumping out extra chapters to keep you guys happy means double the work for them, and really, they both have very busy lives and yet they still find the time to help me.**

**You can find the Sunflower Awards here:  
http : / thesunflowerawards DOT blogspot DOT com  
(please replace the DOTS with real dots and remove the spaces) **

**In other exciting news, I know some of you have been wondering what happened the day of the accident, how did Bella spend her last day with her family? Well, you won't have to wait for long! I have written a O/S outtake for the _Fandom Fights Mental Illness_ anthology that's all BPOV and it chronicles that last fateful day from the moment she wakes up to the moment when everything changed forever. If you make a donation to FFMI, this O/S can be yours.**

**You can find out more information here:  
http :/ / findingyourvoice - ffmi DOT blogspot DOT com /  
****(please replace the DOTS with real dots and remove the spaces)**


	37. Chapter 35

**You are cordially invited to the wedding of Miss Rosalie Hale and Mr. Emmett McCarty Cullen (aka Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen).**

**Tissues may be required if you're prone to tears during weddings.**

**People with aversions to lemons might want to skip the latter part of the chapter. This is an Emmett lemon...it's going to get...er...a tad dirtier than, say, an Edward and Bella lemon.**

**Katmom and Minna? I love you both fiercely.**

* * *

_**Rosalie**_

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and smiled. "It's perfect."

Four worried looking faces smoothed into more relaxed smiles. Esme and Millie high-fived each other while Alice and Bella gave each other a hug.

In less than an hour I would be married to the most amazing man on the planet and I looked every bit the beautiful woman he deserved. No, I'm not being vain, I'm telling it like it is and my team of beautifiers had outdone themselves. My dress was a simple white sundress with some eyelet lace detail around the edges. My hair had been pinned up in the back and gentle, soft tendrils were left dangling in the front. Alice had woven some baby's breath into the chignon and I almost looked like I had a halo.

The moms in my life had undertaken my makeup, which was understated and very natural. "It only enhances and highlights your natural beauty, sweetie," Esme had whispered. "We really didn't have to do much at all. You're absolutely radiant."

Bella pinned a blue brooch at the side of my waist where the dress was gathered slightly. "There's your something blue."

Millie slipped two beautiful diamond studs into my earlobes. "Here's your something new. Emmett has good taste in jewelry."

Esme stood behind me, placing a cool silver chain with a locket around my neck. "Here is your something old—it belonged to my grandmother. I've replaced the photos, though. She would be honoured to know that this now belongs to Emmett's beautiful wife. She adored him so much in the brief time that she knew him, but then again, he was a beautiful baby and an adorable little boy."

Tears pooled in my eyes as I examined the antique locket. The filigree was still incredibly pristine for something so beloved and old. The tears fell when I opened it to see photos of Emmett and Jaden. "It's beautiful, Esme. Thank you."

"No, thank _you_, sweetie. Thank you for loving my boy."

I blushed, looking down at the locket and my engagement ring. "He makes it very easy."

Esme hugged me. "Remember those words on the days when he's driving you nuts, and your marriage will stand the test of time. Now, shall we clean up those tear tracks?"

"WAIT!" Alice practically shrieked. "You need something borrowed! Jaden wanted to supply that. Hang on a second." She waddled to the door and opened it. Jaden stood there in khaki shorts, a white golf shirt and an argyle sweater vest.

"Rosie," he said slowly, in awe, "you are even prettier than usual. Wow!"

"Thanks, sweetie. Can I have a hug?"

He ran over and into my arms. "Mm, you smell pretty too."

We all laughed and he blushed. "I, uh…I have something for you to borrow, but I need it back, okay?"

It was beyond me what Jaden had for me to borrow.

"I'll be right back." He ran out, leaving me confused as to what it would be. When he returned, I couldn't contain the smile on my face.

"I wanted to do something special and when I heard people talking about needing stuff for your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue I thought maybe you might want to borrow Chocolate." From behind his back he pulled out his beloved stuffed moose who was now sporting a cardboard top hat and tuxedo jacket. "Alice helped dress him up. We made the hat and the suit so he would nice enough for a wedding."

My heart swelled at his gesture. "I would be honoured to borrow Chocolate. I was feeling a little nervous, so I'm happy to have him with me to help calm me down." I held Chocolate to my chest. "Thank you, sweetie."

He beamed at me. "I knew it! I'm glad I could help. I'd like to stay but I have important things to do. I guess I'll see you downstairs soon."

I kissed the top of his head. "Love you, Jaden. I'm so glad you are a part of this special day."

"I love you too, Rosie. And in a couple of days you, me and Emmett get to be a real family."

"I can't wait," I whispered as I held him.

"Me too."

After hugging him for another moment, he detached himself and ran off, leaving us all staring in wonder.

"I am seriously the luckiest woman in the world," I said aloud to no one in particular.

"You sure are," Bella said from behind me. "Now, let's get you fixed up and down to your groom."

After refreshing my makeup, Daddy came in to escort me to my husband-to-be. He broke down in tears when he spotted me.

"Oh, princess, you're stunning," he sniffled, "I can't thank you enough for letting me be here for this important day after all…"

"Shh, stop, Daddy. No tears. I'm just glad you're here. That's the most important thing."

Millie snapped a few photos as I straightened out his tie. I had told him that it was casual and no one would be wearing ties, but he insisted. I was just glad he came, so who was I to complain about a tie?

After a few more photos were shot, we followed the girls down to where my future awaited me.

Emmett, Jaden, and the Justice of the Peace stood down in the yard near a beautiful hedge of lilacs. Em smiled at me and I melted. I was so focused on him that I barely noticed Edward and his guitar until Jaden stepped forward and began singing _Thank You_ by Led Zeppelin. He and Edward sang together, their voices blending easily and flawlessly. I couldn't help the tears and the heaving sobs that came out of me as I held the tuxedoed moose tighter to me. I was so thankful he had let me _borrow _Chocolate because it comforted me, grounded me as they serenaded me.

Emmett had tears in his eyes when my dad handed me over. "I don't need to tell you to take care of her because I know you already do. Be happy, live in love, and never go to bed angry."

Daddy leaned in to kiss my cheek before moving to stand with the others.

I held my hand out to Jaden. "Come here, baby, come stand with us, please."

He smiled and moved over so he was standing between us. I handed over Chocolate, then took Em's hand again and faced the Justice of the Peace.

_**Emmett**_

Fuck me, Rosie was looking hot! I mean my girl always looks hot, but standing there in that simple but beautiful white dress she looked more amazing than I thought possible. I was marrying an angel, and I kept waiting for her wings to unfurl.

It was hard to focus on the Justice of the Peace because I was totally bursting with fruit flavor. My girl was marrying me and standing between us was the little fella who would be our son in just a matter of days. The husband/father part of me was knocking the snot out of my old manwhoring self and I felt amazing. Everything was finally falling into place. My family was really a family again—Bella was back, Edward was more than just a zombie, Mom and Dad had worked out their differences, I had a new brother and sister, and Rosie finally had the family she had always longed for.

A sharp tug on my pants alerted me to the fact that I had missed something. Jaden handed me a ring. "Do it, Emmett." He grinned at me as he urged me on.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale," I began as I held her left hand up to place a kiss atop her engagement ring, "you make me the happiest man on earth. You opened my eyes and my heart to a whole new world that I had missed out on. You love me no matter what—happy, sad, angry…"

"Don't forget stinky," Jaden added in a loud whisper.

I laughed aloud. "Oh yes, let's not forget stinky. You love me for some reason and I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me. I love you, Rosalie Hale. Through it all, I swear on this ring and before our family that I will love you until the day I die, and even then, if I go first, I promise to haunt you and love you from the other side."

Rosie smiled through her tears as I slid Grandma Platt's ring on her finger.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen, from the second we met I knew we were made for each other because you were the first person to see _me_ and not just the pretty girl. You unlocked emotions and feelings in me that I never knew I had. You own the key to my heart and there is no doubt in my mind that you are my other half, my better half, because alone I am empty. You, you big goof, you fill me up until I'm spilling over."

I couldn't help myself, it was so inappropriate, but I had to do it. I leaned in and whispered so only she would hear it. "That's what she said."

"Little ears, Emmett Cullen!" my mother hissed. Oops, I guess I said it louder than I had intended. I looked down at Jaden who had no clue what had just transpired. He was busy trying to get Chocolate's top hat to stay on.

"As I was saying," Rosie continued, clearing her throat, "I love you, Emmett, and I know you love me. You've carried me through dark days until I had the strength to move forward on my own two feet. Greater men have run away at lesser messes, and yet you got me, got all of us through it without batting an eye.

"Your heart has an endless supply of love and compassion. The little boy standing here is another example of that, and I can't wait until the three of us are joined together as an official family. Today I pledge my love to you and on Tuesday I pledge my love to our family. Emmett, I can't wait to be a Cullen."

The officiant smiled as Rosie slid the ring on my finger. "Emmett McCarty Cullen, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

The smile on my face should have been the biggest clue to my answer. "A million times yes, yes I do."

"Rosalie Lillian Hale, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Oh, hell yes!"

"Then by the power vested in me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jaden?"

Jaden jumped up and down, clapping as he shouted happily, "You may now kiss Rosie, Emmett!"

Instead of lunging at her, we both looked down at our little guy and smiled. I picked him up and we each kissed a cheek. Everyone cheered as we turned to face them as Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Cullen and their soon-to-be son, Jaden.

Edward came to take Jaden from us so I could sweep my wife into my arms and kiss her long and hard and sloppy.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen," I whispered against her lips.

"I love you more, Mr. Cullen."

The fluttering and nattering around us brought us back to the moment. The mothers were all flapping and trying to get their hands on us.

"Welcome to the family, sweet girl," I heard Mom say as she hugged Rosie. "You've always belonged, you were always one of us, and now it's official."

I had to wipe away a tear when I heard Rosie call her _mom_. It meant so much to both of us that they got along as well as they did—me because every man wants his mother to love his girl, but for Rosie it meant so much more. It meant she finally had a _real_ mother and a family to call her own.

Dad approached, pulling me into one of his bone-crushing Cullen hugs. "Congratulations, son."

"I'm glad you were able to get away from work at such short notice, Pop. I know it was kind of last minute—"

Holding up a hand, he stopped me. "I was not going to miss my eldest son's wedding or the finalization of my new grandson's adoption. Family is too important, Emmett. I would have resigned before I missed any of this. I know in the past I wasn't around, but like I told you last year, I'm here, I'm in it, and I'm never forsaking my family again."

"Thanks, Pop," I choked out as I squeezed the shit out of him. "You have no idea how much this means to me, to us."

"I think I do, son."

~0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

Not long after the formalities had been taken care of, Rosie and I said our goodbyes. Neither of us really wanted to deal with a reception, we really just needed some alone time, so we left the family and headed out to a nearby resort for a much needed night of R&R&S—rest, relaxation and sex; hot, dirty, sticky sweet sex. It felt like forever since either one of us had the time, energy, or mental capacity to do the deed.

First thing on our agenda was a couples' massage. What? A man has to plunder his woman the second the honeymoon begins? We were both full of knots and wound tighter than a spring. The massage would be a warm up for what would come—no one wants to pull a muscle while doinking, do they?

We held hands, whispering sweet nothings to one another as the masseur and masseuse worked us over. I couldn't help it! I love my Rosie and I'm not afraid to show it and now she's my wife and…mmm…

"Emmett, wake up," Rosie said, shaking me.

"Hm?"

"Wake up! Time for the sex!" she said, grinning.

Well, that woke me up pretty quick. Wait, when had I fallen asleep? "How long into it did I pass out?"

Rosie laughed. "You were snoring before they finished with our shoulders. Did you have a good snooze?"

Stretching out, I groaned. "God, that felt good. Yeah, I had a good snooze. Did you nod off? You look refreshed." And she did. Her skin was pink and glowing, her eyes were shining.

"Yeah, I don't think I lasted much longer than you did. I woke when she was doing my feet."

"My ticklish wife," I teased, smiling at her. I stood up, the sheet dropping to the floor, leaving me naked in front of my Rosie. Her gaze moved from my face down my chest and to my cock, which now saluted her.

Rosie stood, tossing her sheet aside before moving toward me. Her tits bounced slightly as she shook her hips. My eyes flickered back and forth between her perfect tits and her pussy, waxed bare except for a thin landing strip of pale hair.

My hands reached for her, pulling her to my chest. Hard nipples poked at my pectorals and it felt amazing. Needing to be closer to her, I pulled her even tighter to me, my hands holding her ass, pushing her against my cock. We both sighed at the same time.

"I love you, Rosie. Thanks for marrying me." I pushed some of her hair away from her face, then pulled at the pins holding it up, releasing it so it fell in golden waves down her bare back.

"Mm, now that feels good," she moaned as I moved my hands up to massage her scalp. As I massaged, I manipulated her head into a better position so I could lean in for a kiss, trapping her beautiful bottom lip between mine, tugging at it until she opened for me. My tongue slipped slowly between her awaiting lips to meet hers; hot, wet and urgent. The more pressure I used on her tender scalp, the more guttural her moans became and the harder she kissed me.

Soft hands traced the contours of my more malleable muscles before she grabbed my cock without warning, pumping it in time with our mouth-fucking.

"Shit, Rosie," I panted, moving my hands from her head down to her ass, grazing her tits as I passed. "Do you want me to come right now?"

Before I could stop her, she dropped to her knees and swallowed my cock in one swift motion, humming as she began bobbing her head.

I stopped her. "No, baby, not on your knees; come to the bed."

Extending a hand to her, she allowed me to help her to her feet. "I want to taste you; I want you to come on my face."

"Oh, you romantic," she giggled as she flopped back onto the bed. "C'mere, hubby, I want to suck your cock."

We really are a match made in heaven. Both crass, outspoken, sexually compatible—there was no way this woman hadn't been made specifically for me.

"On top, Rosie, please?" I asked, quietly as I lay beside her. "I like to stare up at you, not down on you."

Rosie swallowed loudly before a tear trailed down her cheek. "God, I love you, Emmett. That's beautiful."

"No one should ever look down on my Rosie," I replied, wiping away her tear. "You're above that, you're my perfect Rosie."

She climbed atop me, planting a heated kiss on my lips before turning around and positioning herself over my face. I didn't have a chance to touch her before she took me back into her mouth.

"Shiiit," I moaned into her awaiting pussy. I pulled her hips down so I was nose-deep in her lady bits and got to business. First some old-school tongue-clit action before diving into her slippery vag while my nose rubbed at her. I could tell by the movement of her hips and the humming around my cock that she was digging it, so I added my fingers.

I was just about to blow my load when she pulled me out of her mouth and shouted, "OH FUCK! RIGHT THERE! DON'T YOU FUCKING STOP!" She pumped me frantically as I worked her into a frenzy and was rewarded when she came all over my face.

No, really, she squirted.

BEST. WEDDING. PRESENT. EVER!

* * *

**Happy Easter weekend and Water for Elephants day. I'm heading to see WFE for the 1st time this afternoon. :)**

**So, wedding win or wedding fail? It was short, sweet, and to the point.**

**My submission for the Fandom Fights Mental Illness has been submitted, along with the awesome banner designed by my friend AliceSweetCheeks. If you've ever wondered what happened on the day of the fateful accident that took the lives of Bella's family, please make a donation to this important cause.  
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**Don't forget about the Sunflower Awards. Emmett, Rosie, Jaden, Alice and Jasper have all been nominated!  
http : / / thesunflowerawards DOT blogspot DOT com **


	38. Chapter 36

**Sorry for the delay and thank you all for not hunting me down with torches because it's late. Real life has a way of happening at the worst times and although I'm going to try to get back on schedule, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to get my chapters up every Thursday. There will still be weekly updates until this bad boy is done, but it might not be on Thursdays.**

**I can't thank Minna and Katmom enough for everything.**

**SM owns Twilight. I own dusk. Take that!**

**This is an all-Jaden POV chapter.**

* * *

_**Jaden **_

Me and Edward spent the wedding night recording songs for Lily's CD. I couldn't wait to give it to her.

I also couldn't wait for Tuesday, the day I would belong to someone again. I was nervous about talking to the judge but everyone said that the judge would be nice and everyone would be there to support me. All I had to do was answer his questions truthfully and it would be okay.

Doc Carlisle and Esme were over at Bella and Edward's house, keeping Bella company while we were recording. Everyone else was visiting at Alice and Jasper's house because Alice was feeling poorly and needed to rest. Sunnybubbles was getting excited about being born and it was making Alice tired and sick.

When we finished our CD, Doc Carlisle asked if I wanted to go for a swing in the backyard. I thought it sounded fun so I went along. I didn't get to spend much time with him, so I thought it might be nice to have a talk, I mean, he was going to be my new grandpa soon and I didn't really know him.

"Doc Carlisle?" I asked as I hopped up on the swing and pushed off.

"Yes, Jaden?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

He pushed off and swayed back and forth with me. "You just did." He laughed at his joke, but then he got a little more serious. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, I wanted to ask if you…um…this is kind of a strange question and I'm not exactly sure how to ask it." I didn't. I couldn't find the words to make it seem less weird.

"You know you can ask me anything at all, son; I'll answer your questions to the very best of my ability. Take your time if you need to, I'll wait."

I took a deep breath. "You're a doctor so you know about…about…well, what happens when a person…dies, right?"

He stopped beside me. I knew my question had been too weird.

I heard a sigh, but it wasn't an angry one or a frustrated one. I think it was one of those sighs that grownups make when they don't know what to say. "What would you like to know? I'll explain as best I can."

"Well," I pumped my legs harder, "do you think my mommy felt any pain when my daddy shot her in the head?"

"I don't think so, Jaden. From what I understand of your mommy's injuries, I don't think she felt anything at all. It happened instantly."

I stared out at the inky sky and saw a couple of stars winking at me. "What do you mean by instantly?"

"She died right away."

"Oh. Okay." I continued to swing for a minute to try to figure out if I was happy about that or not. "Dying instantly isn't a bad thing, is it?"

He started swinging again. "If you have to die, instantly would be the best way to go, in my opinion."

"Okay. Emma died instantly didn't she? That's what Bella said."

His voice sounded sad when he answered. "Yes, yes she did. She never knew what happened. Neither did Charlie or Renée. It happened very quickly."

"My brother didn't die instantly. He was very sick. He cried a lot."

"Sometimes that's what happens. Doctors do their best to make it peaceful and as pain-free as possible."

"Did my daddy die instantly?"

He was quiet for a second. I was wondering if he was going to answer me, but then he spoke. "No, not likely. I think he may have been alive for a few minutes, but he died quickly. Why are you asking about this?"

I pumped my legs harder until it felt as if I was going to fly all the way around the tree branch. "I dunno. Just curious."

"Okay."

We were quiet for a few minutes. I liked that about Doc Carlisle, he didn't always fill the silence with words.

"I like you, Doc Carlisle."

He chuckled as I went past him. "I like you too, Jaden."

"So, you're going to be my grandpa after Tuesday, eh?"

"I suppose so."

"Does that make you sad?"

I heard him skid to a stop beside me. "Wait, what did you ask me?"

I planted my feet to stop the swing but got thrown off balance, sending me sideways. Doc Carlisle stopped me and held my swing steady.

"Thanks. I asked if me being your grandson made you sad."

He slowly let me go, then got on his knees in front of me. His pants were going to be dirty and I hoped Esme didn't get mad at him. "Why would you think it would make me sad? It's quite the opposite; I'm very excited about having a grandson."

"Oh, well, sometimes I make Cullens sad because they miss Emma. I just wanted to be sure that you were okay with it."

"Which Cullens get sad?" he asked, confused.

"Edward used to get sad, but we talk about it now, so it's not as hard for him. Sometimes Emmett does—he thinks that I don't know, but I'm not stupid, I see stuff."

"It's not _you_, Jaden. I hope you understand that. You have brought so much joy to our family that if anything, you've helped people be happy again. It's just that sometimes we have sad moments when we miss Emma. We would have those moments whether you were here or not."

That made sense and made me feel a lot better. Sometimes I worried that it was me making everyone so sad. It confused me a bit, but I understood now. Mostly.

"I have a question for you, Jaden, if that's okay. Don't feel you have to answer me right away."

"Okay, shoot," I said, as I dug the toe of my sneaker into the dirt.

"When your adoption is finalized, do you want to remain a MacDonald or do you want to be a Cullen?"

"Emmett and I have talked about it and I decided to add McDonald as a middle name and have Cullen as my new last name."

"Really?" he seemed surprised, "Emmett didn't pressure you into it, did he?"

"Pfft, no. He asked me to think about it and I didn't have to—my MacDonald family are all dead, there's no point in having the last name, but I didn't want to forget them, so I thought if I could keep it as my middle name then they would always be with me. Besides, it would seem silly to be Jaden MacDonald, son of Emmett and Rosie Cullen."

Doc Carlisle laughed. "You're a smart kid, Jaden. You don't miss anything at all, do you?"

I looked down at my dirty shoes for a minute before I said anything again. This time I looked up and into Doc Cullen's eyes. "Are you okay with me taking your name?"

He wrapped his arms around me. "I would be honoured."

I hugged him back. "Awesome. So, what do I call you after Tuesday? Pops? Grandpa Carlisle, Grampie Cullen?"

He laughed as he set me back down. "I'll let you decide that. Whatever works for you will be just fine with me.

"So, should we go in? Must be getting close to bedtime."

"Yeah, I suppose. Thanks, Doc Carlisle, for answering my questions. I know they were kind of weird."

He ruffled my hair. "They were perfectly valid questions, Jaden, and I hope you'll come to me the next time you have questions. It's what grandpas are here for."

I took his hand as we walked back toward the house. His hands were soft and smooth. My dad's hands were sometimes rough and cracked. "You know, I never met my grandparents. It might be fun to have new ones."

"We'll spoil you rotten, you know that, right? It's what grandparents do."

I started planning our trip to Harry Potter World the moment he said that.

~0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

Edward took me to see Lily the next day while everyone else went to Alice and Jasper's to hang out. I had the CD we made in my hand as I ran into her room.

"Lily! I have a surprise for you!"

She turned her head and smiled at me. I held it up and watched her eyes trying to focus on the shiny CD. "Me and Edward made a CD for you filled with your favourite songs and the best part is that _we_ were the ones who sang the songs! Want to hear it?"

Lily's squeal was loud and her smile looked like a big yes to me. I gave the disc to Peter, who popped it into Lily's Hannah Montana CD player.

"Hi Lily, it's us, Jaden and Edward. We are going to sing and play your favourite songs. I hope you like it," my voice said through the speakers.

"Do I really sound like that?" I asked Peter. He laughed and nodded. "Hmm, I sound kinda weird."

We listened to the CD and Lily's excitement got bigger with each song. Her hands were moving and her legs were twitching and I had a feeling that if she could, she would be up dancing.

"Peter? Can you put Lily in her wheelchair? I think she wants to dance."

He moved over to her. "Do you want to dance with Jaden, Lilypad?"

"Y…y…yuh…" she grunted.

"I think that's a yes," he said, laughing. "Up we go!" He picked her up and her muscles got tight. "Relax, sweetpea, Daddy won't drop you."

I watched her start to relax as soon as she was in her chair. Peter strapped her in and stepped back. "She's all yours, Jaden. Try not to knock too many things over."

"I promise!" I said as I unlocked her brakes and started pushing and pulling her back and forth. Dancing was easier when I held onto her arm rests so I could see her face. She smiled at me and squealed when _Under the Sea_ came on and soon it sounded like she was trying to sing along. She wasn't really making words, but she was making sounds and that was good enough for me. Edward and Peter sat on the bed and watched us, laughing and clapping.

After a couple of songs, I needed to take a break. I was sweating and I was thirsty. Lily must not have been happy about that because she banged her hand on her leg and grunted. "N…N…N…ooo!"

I stopped mid-sip. "Did she just say no?"

Peter was kneeling in front of her. "Did you just say no, sweetpea?"

"Y…y…y…"

He laughed, then kissed her on the nose. "I think she did. Why don't I dance with you while Jaden takes a break?"

"N…N…OOO!"

"Come on, Lily, he's tired out. Let him take a rest. Do you want to show him your picture board?"

"Picture board?" I asked.

Peter pulled out some cards before attaching a tray to her wheelchair. "Since Lily can point at things now, they brought her some cards to use to communicate."

I looked at them and they had different pictures and words. One card had food, one had clothes, one had colours, one had animals, there were numbers and weather and activities and feelings. "Hey, I have one of these at home!"

"Lily's speech therapist has asked that we try to sound out the words when Lily points to one. Sometimes she tries to say them. We're hoping one of these days she will. Do you want to do some with her? Thought maybe Edward and I could go grab some snacks while you do that, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Sounds fun."

Peter moved Lily over by the bed so we could be at the same level, locking her wheels before he left so she wouldn't roll away. "You two have fun, we won't be gone long."

I spread out some of the cards on the tray and asked her questions. "Okay, Lily, can you show me what your favourite colour is?"

Very slowly her left hand moved to point at a purple triangle.

"Purple? That's a hard word but a pretty colour. Maybe I can paint something special for you in purple sometime. Let's sound it out. Pur-pull. Purrrr-pulllll. Can you say it?"

"Urrr…ell…" she said, smiling.

I lifted her hand and high fived her. "Awesome! P is a hard sound to make. You'll get there, though."

We worked through a few more words before she pointed to a picture of a boy. "Boy?"

Her hand lifted off the tray a little and her finger pointed at me. "Aaaaa!"

"I'm a boy, yes. You're a girl."

She kept pointing to the boy, then at me and making that loud aaaaaa noise. "Are you saying Jaden?"

Lily exhaled loudly and squeezed my hand once.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lily. That was awesome! Jaaay-den."

"Aaa-ennn"

"You'll get it. That's awesome! I can't believe you're starting to talk. When I first met you, you couldn't do anything but squeeze my hand. Now look at you! You're sitting up in a wheelchair, swimming in a pool, and now you're talking. You'll be singing next, I bet.

"Want to take a break? I wanted to tell you something important."

Lily gave me a squeeze.

"I'm being adopted on Tuesday. Can you believe it? I can't. Rosie and Emmett got married yesterday and they'll be my new mommy and daddy in just a couple of days. They are on a honeymoon until tonight. I'm not sure what that is, but I got to stay with Edward and Bella last night and that was lots of fun. I hope they go on more honeymoons so I can have more sleepovers.

"Anyway, I wanted you to know that even though I won't be Jaden MacDonald anymore and I'll be Jaden MacDonald Cullen, I'll still be the same Jaden; I'll still be your best friend."

Lily smiled and pointed to a picture of two kids playing together. It said _friends_ underneath.

"That's right, Lily, we'll always be friends, no matter what. I don't have many friends at school; the other kids used to pick on me because we didn't have a lot of money and because my baby brother died. My clothes were different and I didn't have a lot of toys either, so they teased me about that.

"It was a little lonely, but Mommy always said that one day things like that wouldn't matter, that they would see the real me and they would love me. I kept waiting, but it didn't happen—until I met you. I realize that you can't talk just yet, but I knew from your eyes that you could see me, that you liked me even though my whole family was dead and I cry a lot. You are the friend my mommy promised I'd find and I won't ever leave you, unless you ask me to. I hope you won't, but if you did, I'd have to go."

Lily's eyes were wet. "Did I make you sad, Lily? I didn't mean to."

Her hand wobbled across one of the cards until she was pointing to a heart.

"You…you love me?"

A big smile was all I needed to see. "I love you too, Lily."

Just then Edward and Peter came running into the room. "Jaden! We have to go!"

"What's wrong? Is everybody okay?" I asked nervously.

"Sunnybubbles is here!"

* * *

**What? Wait? I'm stopping here?**

**Sorry. )**

**So guess what? You'll all get to meet Sunnybubbles in the next chapter-FINALLY!**

**Don't forget about the Sunflower Awards...voting starts soon. Jaden is up for an original character award, so all you folks who said you were Team Jaden, dust off your voting fingers and get ready to make him the happiest little fiction character out there. www DOT thesunflowerawards DOT blogspot DOT com**

**Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper are also up for awards.**

**For those of you interested, I donated a O/S of the day of the accident to The Fandom Fights Mental Illness. Please make a donation to this worthy cause to have a chance to read it. I haven't decided if I'm going to post it after the fundraiser is over.**

**http : / / findingyourvoice-ffmi DOT blogspot DOT com **

**Here's a teaser:**

_I left my two favourite people roughhousing in bed while I made my way to the bathroom to run a bath for Emma. We had been too tired the night before to bother and I was kind of kicking myself now—sleepy Emma is so much easier to wrangle in the tub than wide awake Emma.  
_

_When I returned to the bedroom, I found them snuggled up under the duvet reading _Oh the Places You Will Go_ by Dr. Seuss. I watched them, committing the moment to memory. I knew full and well that quiet moments like this would be fewer and far between as our baby girl grew up. _


	39. Chapter 37

**Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for since _Encore_. Sunnybubbles has arrived.**

**But don't hate Alice. It's not her fault. (You'll understand when you read it.)**

**As always, big thanks and huge dump trucks full of love to my betas, Minna and Katmom.**

**Oh, and you might need a tissue.**

* * *

_**Alice**_

It all happened so fast. One minute I was in the bathroom regretting having eaten that last taco, and the next I was on my way to the hospital, fully dilated and ready to push.

First births aren't supposed to be so fast; new moms are supposed to be in labour for hours and days, scream profanities at their husbands and beg for epidurals. Not me. I missed out on all of it.

Frankly, had Carlisle not been visiting, I might have been one of those girls you see on TLC shows who give birth on the toilet. Thankfully, he recognized what was going on, flew into doctor-mode and she was delivered minutes after we got to the hospital.

Was there pain? Oh hells yes, there was an incredible amount of pain, but it happened so quickly that it was more of an afterthought than anything. Dr. Butler said that the _false __labour_ I had thought I was experiencing was actually not false at all. The contractions I started having during Rose and Em's wedding really felt no different than they had after the last time I had gone into the hospital thinking I was in labour. I was so embarrassed from that experience, that I figured they were just false pains again and I didn't want to end up going to hospital only to find out that it wasn't time and be told to go home. So really, I had been in labour for about twenty four hours—I just didn't know it.

Bella, Jasper and Mom were by my side as we welcomed our beautiful 7lb 6oz baby girl into the world. She let out a quiet squeak before she really belted out a couple of louder cries. Then she blinked at us, nuzzled into me and sighed.

The hardest part of this whole experience was a tie between the pain of delivering the placenta and the time I had to spend apart from her when they did measurements, drew some blood and cleaned her up. In all likelihood she was gone for about ten minutes, but I cried the whole time.

As soon as they had finished and cleaned me up, my sweet angel was back in my arms, nudging around my nipple. Bella, Esme and Mom all helped me get her latched on and we all cried as she drew her first sustenance from my body.

Again, I was surprised because I had anticipated that breastfeeding would be hard after all the books I had read. I wasn't expecting that giving birth to my first, of hopefully many, babies to be so damn easy! I was going to be one of those women that everyone hated because things were so fast and _effortless_. Ha! There's nothing effortless at all about squeezing a baby out your hooha. My labour was fast, yes, but NOT effortless!

Edward and Jaden came running into the room, shocked looks on their faces. "We got here as soon as we could—it happened so fast! Is it normal for babies to come that quickly?"

Bella moved over to hug him. "Alice's does. Was there ever any doubt that Sunnybubbles would come out running? Come on, baby, come meet your niece. Jaden, want to meet your cousin now?"

Jaden was hiding behind Edward's legs looking nervous.

"Come on over, sweetie, she's excited to meet her favourite cousin," I called to him softly, so as not to disturb the baby.

The poor little guy walked over slowly. Jasper lifted him up onto the bed so he wouldn't get caught in my wires or bump me too hard. "Don't be nervous, Jaden. She's having a little snack." I lifted the receiving blanket to show him.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "She's so tiny and cute. Can I…can I touch her?"

"Sure," I said, taking his hand and placing it on her head. "You can rub her cheek a little if you want."

He gently touched her cheek at the same moment she made a smacking noise when she released my nipple.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, shyly, looking away.

"I think she's just letting me know that she's had enough to eat for now." I pulled my gown up to cover myself, not that I was embarrassed, but I'm sure the boys were. "I need to burp her and then you can hold her if you want."

"What's her name?"

"Yeah, what did you guys decide on for a name?" Edward asked, moving closer to see her now that she wasn't feeding. "Oh, Alice, she's beautiful." His voice cracked slightly and my heart broke for him, Bella, Esme and Carlisle. This had to be hard.

"Thank you, Edward. She looks like her daddy, what with the blonde hair, not to mention she definitely gets her height from him. As for her name, I wanted Rosie and Emmett to be here when we announce it. Did someone manage to reach them?"

Esme stepped forward. "They'll be here in about an hour. Why don't we clear out and let you rest until they get here?"

"No, please stay. You're all family; I want you here if you want to stay."

Sunny let out a quiet burp and a little kitten noise. I moved her off my shoulder, holding her out to Jasper. "Can you please set her up with Jaden and can someone please take some pictures?" I stifled a yawn. "If I doze off, I'm not being rude, okay? I didn't sleep well last night."

Jasper took his baby girl into his arms before leaning in to give me a kiss. "I love you, darlin'."

"Mm…you too." My eyes closed and I could feel myself drifting off.

_**Jasper**_

I looked down at the beautiful pink, wrinkly baby girl in my arms and still couldn't believe she was here, or even more, that she's mine.

I, Jasper Hale, am a daddy.

"Um, Jasper?" Jaden asked, "Is it my turn to hold her?"

Oh crap, I was supposed to be handing her off to Jaden. "Sorry, buddy, I kind of had a brain fart."

"Oh no! Put the baby down in case you fall like Bella did last time. You need to lie down on your side, too, right?" He looked over at Bella for confirmation. She smiled and nodded before hiding her face in Edward's side and laughing.

What the...? "Oh no, I guess I meant to say that I got lost in my thoughts." I moved over to his side of the bed. "I guess I'm just getting used to the idea that I'm a daddy. Okay, be very careful, she's not even three hours old."

He nodded. "I held Casey when he was little. I know that her neck is very floppy and her head is soft so I have to be _very_ careful. I won't break her, Jasper, I promise."

I placed my daughter in his awaiting arms and watched as he cuddled with her. "Hi Sunnybubbles, I'm your…well, after Tuesday I'll be your cousin, Jaden. I'm the kid who sang to you when you were in Alice's belly. I promise that I'll still sing to you now that you're here. I'm so happy to finally meet you and see you. You're very cute, you know, for a girl. I can't wait until you're old enough to play with me and go on the jungle gym. We're going to have so much fun."

I looked over at the parents—Dad, Millie, Carlisle and Esme and saw that they were all sniffling. Millie was snapping photos like a seasoned paparazzi. I turned to look over at Edward and Bella and saw that beneath their joy for us, they were hurting. I moved over to give them a hug.

"Thank you, guys," I mumbled into their shoulders. "It means a lot that you're here. I know this can't be easy."

"We're just happy she's here and that she and Alice are both healthy and happy," Bella said quietly.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Edward replied after a moment. "It brings back a lot of happy memories, man, not sad ones. The day Emma was born was the happiest day of our lives. I would never begrudge you that. Enjoy it, Jazz, they grow up quickly."

Sunny began to whimper quietly and Jaden looked a bit startled. I didn't want Alice to wake, so I took her from Jaden and placed her in Edward's arms. "Here you go, Uncle Edward."

The parents took Jaden, excusing themselves to go to the cafeteria, leaving just the five of us in the room. Edward sang quietly to the baby while Bella looked on, tears in her eyes. I pulled her into my arms and rubbed her back while she cried.

"I'm sorry, Jazz, I'm just missing my baby girl so much. It seems like yesterday she was tiny like that."

"It's okay, darlin', we both understand…well, we do and we don't…you know what I mean."

"Yeah, and I hope you never have to." She pulled out of my arms. "Edward, may I please hold my niece?"

Edward gently passed my daughter over to Bella and the love in her eyes was overwhelming. "Sweet little Sunny, you are such a blessing to this family. You are loved and cherished and will be spoiled rotten. You are a new beginning, a new life, a bright ray of sunshine in all of our lives."

Bella's words choked me up. Her ability to love even though her heart was broken spoke volumes of the truly amazing woman she is.

The door flew open shortly after and a panting Rosie and Emmett ran in.

"Shh," I shushed them, "Alice and the baby are both sleeping."

"Where's my…" Rosie started, then stopped when she spotted Bella. After moving closer, she took a look and turned to me, grinning from ear to ear. "Holy shit, Jazzy, she's gorgeous."

Bella presented the tiny bundle to Rosie. "Auntie Rosie, Uncle Emmett, please meet your niece…"

"Sunny Ella Rose Hale," Alice said quietly from behind us.

I laughed at everyone's reaction. Alice and I had discussed names at length. Initially she was going to be Ella Rose Hale, but the more everyone started calling her Sunny, it kind of grew on us, so we decided to keep it. It was also clear that our choice was right when after they cleaned her up, we were happy to see a halo of fuzzy golden hair upon her head.

"But shh…" Alice continued, "I was waiting for you guys to get here so I could tell everyone all at once. When the parents get back, please pretend you didn't know, okay?"

Everyone agreed as they continued to coo over her. Knowing she was in good hands, I moved to join Alice on the bed. "How're you feeling?" I asked before placing a kiss on her lips.

"Thirsty and sore and tired."

"You've had a big day, darlin'. Think you can try to get some more sleep?"

She yawned, stretched, then winced. "Yeah, but not until the parents get back and they give me something to take the edge off the pain. Feels like I gave birth to a linebacker and not a baby girl."

Emmett was whispering and cooing to Sunny when the others returned. Jaden immediately ran to Rosie, hugging her and filling her in on all the excitement.

Alice cleared her throat and held her arms out for the baby. I helped her get settled before she looked up at everyone. "Jasper and I are so happy to have you all here today. It's too bad Daddy missed this, but he'll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, we would like to present our daughter, Sunny Ella Rose Hale."

Millie clasped her hands across her chest in glee. "You kept Sunny? It's perfect, Alice and Jasper. It's a beautiful celestial name and she already is the sunshine of our lives."

Jaden moved over to Alice's side. "I'm glad we get to keep calling her Sunny."

Alice smiled at him and placed a hand gently on his cheek. "Thank you for coming up with the name, sweetie."

He blushed before leaning up to awkwardly place a kiss on Sunny's head. "She's pretty."

I sighed as I rested my cheek atop Alice's head. "She certainly is."

Edward began to sing quietly before everyone joined in. It would have been a completely cheesy _Full House_ moment had it not been for the intensity and depth of the situation.

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

_You make me happy when skies are grey_

_You'll never know, dear, how much I love you_

_Please don't take our Sunny away_

Everyone left when the nurses cleared the floor and I hated to say it, but it was nice to have my girls to myself. Sunny was feeding, oblivious that her mother and I were watching her every move.

"She's really here, Alice. We're really parents."

"Yup."

We observed in silence until Alice whispered to me. "Are you as terrified as I am?"

Exhaling loudly, I leaned in for a kiss. "Thank god," I whispered against her lips. "I was beginning to think I was alone on the fear thing."

"Uh-uh," she mumbled as she took one last kiss. "I think we'd be weird if we weren't. Parenthood is a big thing. Bella said that they were both shitting their pants when Emma was born."

"Well, that was to be expected; they were fifteen. We're 23, we're supposed to have this shit figured out, right?"

Alice rubbed Sunny's cheek gently. "Wake up, sleepy girl. You need to eat, not sleep."

Sunny began sucking again, her small lips pulling on Alice's much larger breast. It was truly fascinating to watch. I mean, this little person was created by us and Alice was feeding her, providing her with sustenance and antibodies to survive.

The female body is an amazing thing.

I was surprised when Alice's head rolled forward, then off to the side, too exhausted to stay awake any longer. We had all joked about how when Alice finally gave birth that she would likely jump off the bed, clean up the baby herself, run laps around the ward, deliver her own placenta, then take the baby for a jog because we read that new mothers are quite often feeling a rush of energy-inducing hormones. Not Alice—it seemed to drain her right away. These past few weeks had really done a job on Alice's energy levels, and we finally realized that even the Energizer Bunny has limits. Surely her batteries would recharge after a few days of rest and we'd have our hyperactive Alice back.

When Sunny began to fuss, I pulled her away from Alice's nipple and into burping position. She didn't take long to burp and spit up, so I took some precious daddy-daughter time until she fell asleep. I put her in the glass bassinet when I felt myself drifting off; I was terrified of dropping her.

It wasn't long before I awoke to hear her fussing. Surely she wasn't hungry again.

A nurse came in to check on my girls not long after the fussing began. "Well, Daddy, why don't we check her diaper, and if that's not the problem, I have something else to try."

I nervously changed her diaper, much to the amusement of the night nurse, and Sunny continued to fuss.

"Come over here, Daddy. Take off your shirt and have a seat in the rocker." I looked at her strangely. "Oh come on, I'm not trying to ogle you. New babies like skin-to-skin contact."

I took off my shirt while the nurse stripped Sunny down to just her diaper. She placed her on my chest. "Put her head over your heart so she can hear and feel it. I'll grab a warm blanket for you."

Sunny settled down almost immediately, all curled up against me. The nurse returned quickly with a warm sheet and covered us up. "Rock her and sing to her—I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Hit the red call button if you need me, okay? My name is Kate."

"Thanks, Kate."

We rocked in that chair until we were both asleep and I seriously have to rank that moment as one of best moments of my life. It was in that moment that she completely and utterly stole my heart, and some of the fear I had about being a father went out the window.

We were going to be okay.

* * *

**Hmm...shirtless Daddysper?**

**So? I hope it wasn't too anticlimactic. Some people have easy labour and others don't. Go figure that Alice would experience the former.**

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****it was just as heartbreaking because of what followed it."**

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**Speaking of Jaden, I have written a futuretake from _Around the Bend_, in Jaden's POV for the _Fandom For Tsunami_ fundraiser. Minna said she fell in love when she read it, so I'm going to assume that she liked it. I'll give you a little hint: it's Jaden's prom night. :)**


	40. Chapter 38

**What? Two highly anticipated chapters in a row? Has this girl gone crazy?**

**Well...that's a loaded question now, isn't it. *wink***

**Regardless, welcome to the joyous occasion of Jaden's official adoption into the Cullen clan. A tissue may be required...I'm not sure.**

**Huge thanks to Minna and Katmom.**

* * *

_**Jaden**_

I didn't think Tuesday would ever come.

I also didn't think I'd be so scared.

Emmett was fixing my tie and tucking it into my new sweater vest, swatting at my hands and grumbling at me a bit. "Quit chewing your nails, kiddo. If Mom sees you she'll find that bitter nail polish stuff that she used to use on me and Edward and that sh…stuff's nasty." Emmett made a funny face. That nail stuff must have been wicked!

"I'm nervous," I admitted. I was. I was shaking in my shoes.

"How can someone who looks as snazzy as you do be nervous?" He finished up, then patted the bed for me to sit beside him. He put his arm around me before he started talking again. "Yesterday we went over everything that's going to happen. You didn't seem scared then. Has something changed?"

"Um…" I pulled at a thread on my shorts. "I'm scared they're going to say it was a joke and that I can't live with you. I'm scared they're going to take me away."

"There's nothing to be scared of. Remember what Mr. Jenks said about this being a _formality_? Do you remember what that word means?"

I nodded and thought back to roly poly Mr. Jenks. "He said a formality was kind of like dressing up a pig; although it's fancy, it's still just a pig."

"And…"

"And the adoption has been okayed, but going to court is like dressing up the pig, it's just fancy grown up stuff. The judge wants to meet us just to be posolutely absotively sure that we are the right fit."

"So, why are you scared?"

"What if he's like Judge Judy? She scares me! I saw her make a little boy cry on TV the other night."

Emmett laughed. "I can assure you that it's not going to be Judge Judy. No one there today is going to hurt you or be mean to you. Everyone wants what's good for you, and they've already said that we're a good fit. The only people in the court room today will be you, me, Rosie, our family, and I invited some friends too. Also, Zafrina, Dr. Scott and a couple of the other social workers will be there. You know all of them. They aren't strangers. You have nothing to fear, buddy."

I hugged him. "Thanks."

He rubbed my back and hummed a quiet song to me until I completely stopped shaking. "Feeling better?"

"Much," I said, smiling at him.

Rosie came into the room to tell us it was time to go. I felt my muscles getting tight and I wondered if I should bring my gritty kitty pills just in case.

"Jaden, buddy, remember, there's nothing to fear."

"I'm cool," I lied…a little.

His laughter shook me and I had to smile.

"You ready to become a Cullen?"

"You bet!"

~o0o0o0o0o0o~

Everything happened in a blur. My family was all there, even little baby Sunny! She and Alice had gotten out of the hospital just a little before the hearing, which made me happy. I sat with them for a few minutes, watching Sunny blowing bubbles and squirming around.

Bella walked over to us. "It's time. Before you go in, Jaden, there's someone here who wants to say hi."

I took her hand and followed her down the hall until I saw who it was. "LILY!"

I ran over to her and gave her a hug. "What are you doing out of rehab?"

Peter knelt down beside us. "We didn't want to miss your big day. Lily's allowed out of the rehab for a couple of hours a day now and she wanted to be here for you."

My face was hurting because I was smiling so hard. "Thank you." I hugged Peter before moving closer to Lily. "I'm scared."

Her hand twitched, so I took it in mine. She moved hers around until I figured out she was doing our handshake. I smiled and took a deep breath before leaning over and resting my head on her shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here, Lily."

Emmett came over and gave Peter a hug and kissed the top of Lily's head. "You guys ready?"

I swallowed loudly, trying to push back the fear. "Yes, I think so."

He picked me up and gave me a big Emmett bear hug. "Let's go be a family."

Emmett and Rosalie each took one of my shaking hands as we entered the courtroom. We sat down at a table while the rest of the family sat on benches behind us. I smiled when every single one of them stopped to give me a hug. It made me feel less nervous.

Edward turned on a video camera and asked me how I was feeling.

"Nervous but excited."

"Are you ready to join the crazy Cullen clan?"

"I was born ready," I replied, flexing my muscles. Emmett said this a lot, and it seemed like a good thing to say. Emmett laughed and joined me in flexing and making faces at the camera until the judge came in. I breathed a little easier when I saw that it wasn't Judge Judy. It was a man who kind of looked like Santa Claus.

The next stuff that happened confused me. People talked about me, about Emmett and Rosie, about the family. Dr. Scott spoke, a couple of the social workers I met said some stuff, then Amanda winked at me and said some nice things about us. Then they asked Emmett and Rosie some questions…

…and then it was my turn.

_**Emmett**_

I thought Jaden was going to pass out. He was white as a ghost when the judge asked to speak to him. Rosie gave him a hug and whispered to him. I watched him nod, smile a little, then give her a kiss on the cheek before he turned back to me. He gave me a hug and whispered, "I'm okay, I can do this."

"You're awesome. Remember, no one is here to hurt you or be mean, okay?"

"I love you, Emmett."

"I love you too. Go get 'em, little buddy."

He hopped down, stood up straight, and ran his hands over his wrinkled sweater vest before stepping up to the side of the table. I caught a slight tremor in his hand, but he seemed to be otherwise okay.

"Hi, Jaden, I'm Judge Gerry. Do you want to come up and sit with me for a moment? I have a big comfy chair for you in the box to my left."

The little guy looked nervously at us for permission. We both nodded, so he walked very slowly to the bench. The big chair in the box almost seemed to swallow him, but he seemed a little more at ease.

"So, Jaden, you've had a pretty rough year, haven't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir, mister Judge Gerry."

The judge chuckled. "You can call me Judge or sir if you want. You have very good manners for such a young man."

"My…my mommy taught me to be polite and respectful to my elders."

The judge's smile dimmed a bit. "I bet you miss your mommy don't you?"

I saw his bottom lip begin to tremble. "Yes, mister sir, I do. She was amazing. She taught me to sing and draw and…" he stopped and I saw a big tear trail down his cheek, "she's still alive in my heart, though. Same with Casey and…and happy Daddy."

"You've been a very brave little boy. Everyone has said some very wonderful things about you."

"Oh," he smiled a little as he looked back at the older man, "that's good, I guess. Um, mister sir? I'm…I'm feeling a little nervous. Do you think it would be okay if I had Chocolate with me?"

Judge Gerry looked confused. "You want to eat chocolate?"

Jaden giggled. "No, mister sir, Chocolate is my moose. Rosie?"

Rose pulled his beloved moose from her purse. The judge laughed when he saw it. "Oh, I get it. Yes, of course, bring Chocolate up to our friend here."

The questions began again as soon as Jaden had his moose in hand. "So, do you understand what's happening today? Do you know what adoption means?"

Jaden nodded. "Adoption means that I get new parents and a new family because mine is dead."

I think Judge Gerry was a little taken aback at Jaden's blunt reply. "Well, yes, that's correct. Do you want to be adopted by the Cullens?"

He perked right up. "Oh yes, very much. I love my new family. I never want to leave them. Please let me stay with them."

"You knew Emmett Cullen before your parents died, didn't you?"

I watched as Jaden smiled before turning to look at me. "He was my teacher. My favourite teacher, really."

"Oh, why's that?"

Jaden's smile faded a little. "Um, well, because he protected me from the other kids. They used to pick on me because I'm smaller, because I was poor and because my baby brother died. Emmett used to let me stay in with him during recess and lunch if the kids were being mean. He would let me draw. I love to draw."

"I'm sorry the other kids were mean to you. It's nice that you had Emmett to help you."

"That's why I asked for him the night Mommy and Daddy died…I knew he would protect me."

Wow. We had never discussed this before.

"Sounds like he's a great guy," Judge Gerry said, smiling in my direction. "There aren't many people out there who would do what he and Rosalie did. You're a very lucky boy."

Jaden looked at us, the love in his eyes almost too much to look at. "I'm the luckiest boy in the world. If I can't have my mommy, there's no one else that I want to belong to except for the Cullens, Brandons, Hales and Swan, but not Mama Hale, she's evil."

Everyone snickered behind us and I had to admit that I was struggling not to laugh.

"So you and your friend Chocolate are happy in your new home?"

"Yes, mister sir, we have an awesome bedroom full of toys, both old ones and new ones, a bunk bed, a pool and jungle gym in the backyard. I even have my own bathroom, which is good because Emmett leaves some stinky bombs in his."

Everyone laughed out loud this time and I felt myself blushing. It was fine that my family knew about my gassy ass, but for it to be recorded in the courts? Even Emmett Cullen isn't immune to mortification.

Jaden frowned. "I'm sorry, Emmett."

I raised my hand and waved it off. "It's alright, little buddy, I'm not mad."

He turned back to the judge. "The best thing, though, is that I feel loved. I get lots of hugs and when I'm having a bad day, they love me even harder. Not like my daddy, but more like my mommy." He paused for a moment, thinking intensely about something. "I suppose it's like having a family full of mommies. It's nice. I want to belong to them because they already belong to me. They are my family."

The lump in my throat made itself known and I heard several people behind me sniffling.

"So you understand that when I sign these papers that you will be the son of Emmett and Rosalie Cullen? This is a forever thing, Jaden. Are you positive that is what you want?"

"Yes sir. I don't want to belong to anyone else. Please sign those papers."

"And you want to change your name?"

"Yes sir, I want to be Jaden Alexander MacDonald Cullen. It's a bit of a mouthful, but I'm a good speller. I've been practicing."

The judge chuckled. "I'm sure you are. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Jaden hesitated for a moment; I watched him play with Chocolate's antlers as he pondered the judge's question. He nodded before looking out at us. He spoke quietly and sincerely.

"I want to say thank you, Emmett and Rosie. Thank you for coming to get me that awful night and thank you for bringing me home and not giving me back when I freak out.

"Thank you, Esme and Doc Carlisle. I think you will be awesome grandparents. I've…I've never really had any, so this should be fun."

He turned to look at Alice, Jasper and Sunny. "Thanks for letting me name your baby and for tutoring me and for wanting to be my aunt and uncle.

"Edward, thank you for the music—it keeps my mommy close by. Bella, thank you for just understanding and being my friend. You always know how to make me feel better.

"I also want to say hi to my best friend Lily, who is over there with her daddy, Peter."

Lily squealed excitedly, which in turn made Jaden grin before he turned back to the judge. "Mister sir, Rosie said before that God sent me to complete them, but I think Mommy sent them to save me. Can you please sign the papers? I want to go home with my mom and dad."

Rosie began to sob quietly beside me while I tried to contain my own emotions.

He called us mom and dad.

I was a dad.

Holy shit.

_**Rosalie**_

He called me mom.

That one little world shattered my heart, then rebuilt it stronger than ever.

Emmett pulled me closer to him and whispered that he loved me. "We're a family now, baby."

The remainder of the hearing passed in a blur. We were called up and to be honest, I was in a fog and missed a lot of what happened other than we signed some documents, swore to something and then the judge said the one word I couldn't wait to hear: congratulations.

I held the documents in my hands, staring incredulously at them as everyone celebrated around me. It was real. We were officially a family. I could finally breathe because no one would take him away from us. He belonged to us.

Just as much as we belonged to him.

Emmett walked over with Jaden in his arms and pulled me closer.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Jaden said excitedly. "It's okay if I call you that, right? I might still call you Emmett and Rosie though. I need to figure that out."

I started to cry and held my boys closer. "My boys…my husband, my son…I'm the happiest woman on the planet."

Bella asked us to turn around and smile so she could take a photo. Bit by bit we ended up with a full family photo, including the judge, who was more than happy to oblige.

"I hate to break up the party," he said, smiling, "but there are other kids waiting to be adopted."

Jaden walked over and motioned for the judge to kneel down. When he did, Jaden threw his arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "Thank you, mister sir."

"I'm happy to do it, son. Special little guys like you deserve a special big family to call their own. Be good, okay?"

"I will. I promise."

Before anyone could stop him, Jaden gave the judge a big wet kiss on the cheek. I stopped and held my breath, but the kind man smiled and placed a gentle kiss atop Jaden's head. "You're a good boy, Jaden. Don't ever change."

And with that, Jaden ran over, took our hands and led us out of the courtroom as a family.

* * *

**Yay! It's official! Jaden is now one of the family!**

**As you can probably see, this story is beginning to wind down. But don't fret, there are still a few chapters left. I thought I knew exactly how many, but the plot bunnies have been hard at work trying to break me down, and I think they may have done so, which translates into a couple of extra chappies.**

**That being said and without going into great and gory detail, RL has slapped me silly and I need to sort some stuff out. This doesn't mean that the story is going on hiatus, it just means that updates might be a day or two late, that's all. I hope you don't mind. I hate doing this, but I can't really help it.**

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	41. Chapter 39

**I shall warn you now that Minna has revoked my angst card and is, I think, a little weirded out by the amount of fluff in this chapter.**

**It's really fluffy.**

**They deserve it, don't you think?**

**SM owns Twilight, but I bet she's jealous as hell that I have Minnakoda and Katmom as my betas. Yeah, take that! :)**

* * *

_**Bella**_

Things calmed down after the adoption hearing…well, after the adoption party, that is. It was a small one, but there was karaoke and lots of Rock Band going on. Peter and Lily joined us for a little while before they had to go back to the rehab. She really seemed to be enjoying her time away from the centre, and the added stimulation really couldn't help but facilitate her recovery.

Emmett, Rose and Jaden left the following morning after a big family brunch. Em had rented a cabin in the mountains so they could have some much needed and well-deserved quiet time as a family.

Alice, Jasper and Sunny were settling into a nice routine with Millie's help, but really, I think they would have been fine on their own. They both really embraced parenthood and caught the hang of things rather quickly.

Esme packed up and followed Carlisle home after many tears and promises of visits. I think Millie took her departure hardest of all; their sisterly bond had grown exponentially in the days since Millie arrived. It was cute watching them together; they were like overgrown teenagers.

Edward and I were enjoying some downtime. He woke me with breakfast in bed one morning, then offered himself as dessert. A girl could get used to that.

We met with our therapist that Friday and I'd like to say it went well, but it didn't. Edward was wondering if maybe we should wait to try to start a family.

Yes, Edward said that.

I was floored by his admission and I didn't really respond until later. It really gave me something to mull over and I knew I needed to tread lightly.

Edward made dinner that night and I knew I couldn't avoid the issue any further. "Good mahi mahi, baby," I said as I prepared myself to step into potentially volatile waters.

"Thanks, I tried a new marinade. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. So," he paused to take a drink, "are you going to spit it out or what?"

I nearly choked on the piece of broccoli in my mouth. "W…what?"

He smiled as he pushed my glass toward me. "You've been distracted and jumpy since our appointment today. Talk to me, love, what's going on?"

"Um," I took a second to finish chewing my food, "I was surprised by something you said today."

A knowing nod alerted me that he was more perceptive than I had initially given him credit for. "I thought as much. Talk to me, Bella."

"I was…well, you said…um…"

The slight smile dissolved and a frown took its place on his beautiful face. "It must be bad if you can't even say it. Please, love, you can tell me anything."

"Why don't you want to start a family with me?" I blurted it out a lot louder and less refined than I had intended, but my panic was overriding my tact, or so it seemed. "Am I too damaged? Are you scared I'll do the funky chicken and the baby will get hurt?"

Horror flashed across his face. "No, Bella, no, that's not it at all! How…why would you think that? I explained my reasons at our session. Did you not hear me?"

I thought about that for a moment and realized that I hadn't. I think I had been so consumed by the notion that he—the one who had wanted a baby so desperately—was the one asking to wait. My mind had switched off, muting the rest of our session and I had gone on auto pilot.

"No," I admitted, ashamed.

His chair scraped across the floor as he pushed away from the table to kneel beside me. "I'm not saying no forever, I'm just…I…I want to enjoy the silence. We've been living in such a vortex of angst and pain and chaos that I think we need some alone time. We've barely had a chance to get to fully know each other again. We found each other not even a year ago, and please forgive me for this, but I want some Bella time. We should travel; go to Europe like we used to dream about doing. Let's spend a year or two finishing school and finding solid footing before we add another person to the equation."

I didn't know if I should be happy or upset by what he said. I was confused. Yes, he made sense, but part of me was longing for a baby.

"Bella, everything we've done has been fast and out of order. You lost your teen years because of Emma and—"

I stopped him. "I don't regret having Emma one bit. I would give up school dances, pep rallies and keggers a million times over. Emma was, IS, the best thing that ever happened to me."

"That's not what I meant. You had to become a mother at fifteen. You didn't get to live before you had to grow up."

"We both did," I said quietly.

"Then you can understand why I want to wait a bit. I know that I want to have my head screwed on straight before I have to contend with a baby. This will also give you a chance to heal, to maybe put back on the weight you lost and get your seizures totally under control."

He was right. I couldn't argue with him because his logic was flawless. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before I looked at his face again.

"You're right. " Then I laughed. "How hilarious is this? I was the one so hell-bent on not having kids and you were desperate for more. Oh, how the tables have turned."

He chuckled before leaning in to place a kiss on my forehead. "I think I finally saw the light beyond my own selfish desires."

"You're not selfish, Edward."

"Ha! I'm the most selfish creature out there." He got up and sat back in his chair. "I was scared so I ran away to Alaska. I was scared, ashamed and desperate so I tried to kill myself. I pushed you to give me a chance when your life was rolling along just fine without me. I hid Bunny Fou Fou from you. I pushed you to have more kids when you clearly didn't want to. Need I go on?"

I thought about it briefly. "Okay, you _were_ selfish, but the operative part of that statement is '_were'_. You aren't selfish anymore, Edward, you're anything but selfish."

"I think I'm being a little demanding in wanting to have time alone with you," he replied, a low growl in his voice.

"Nah," I said, standing up and making my way over to him, where I sat on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, planting butterfly kisses on his nose. "That's just a sign of good taste. I think some _us_ time is in order."

He sighed happily into the crook of my neck. "I love you."

"I love you more."

We sat in contemplative silence until my phone rang. Caller I.D. indicated that it was Emmett.

"Em, what's wrong?" I couldn't hide the worry. He had said that their phones were to be used only in the case of an emergency.

"It's not Em, silly Bella, it's Jaden!"

I smiled and relaxed when I heard his happy voice. "Hi sweetie, can you hang on for a second, I want to put you on speaker so you can talk to Edward too."

"And Fred! Don't forget Fred!" he shouted back.

"No, we couldn't ever forget Fred," I chuckled as I pushed the speaker button. "Okay, buddy, Edward, Fred and I can all hear you. How's your trip going?"

"Oh my gosh, Bella, it's awesome! We have a cabin in the woods near a lake with canoes and jet skis and hiking trails and four wheelers and tomorrow," he paused to take a breath, "tomorrow we are going horseback riding!"

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Edward responded. "We're glad you're having a good time."

"I'm having the best time ever! I brought my paints and my markers and I've been doing a lot of drawing. I'll have to show you when we come home. Oh! Poppa Carlisle and Nana Esme bought me a camera too! I've been taking lots of pictures of nature and stuff."

"A new camera, eh? Seems like Nana and Poppa are spoiling you already." I said, chuckling. It was cute how he'd already decided on what to call them.

"It would be better if you guys were here. I miss you."

Edward smiled. "You'll see us in a week, buddy. Enjoy your time with Emmett and Rosie."

"I am. Being a Cullen is pretty awesome."

There were muffled voices in the background. "Oh, gotta go. Dad and me are going fishing. He said he'd tell me stories about when all of you went fishing when you were little."

"Uh, oh," I said playfully, "make sure you're wearing your lifejacket; Emmett has been known to sink canoes."

"I heard that!" Emmett bellowed in the background.

"I love you, Edward, Bella and Fred. I miss you!"

Edward and I looked at one another, smiling. "We love and miss you too!"

"Bye!"

The connection was cut and I couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad things are going well. They really needed some time to bond, alone."

"So they did. Back to us, though. Does travel interest you at all? Where do you want to go? What do you want to see?"

"I want to see it all, Edward," I purred as I wriggled in his lap.

He gulped loudly before shifting me a little bit. "That can be arranged; but seriously, I want you to start a list of places you want to go and we'll go."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Really. Let's get school finished, get married and take off for a while."

The idea of seeing the world with Edward, as his wife, made me ridiculously giddy. I hopped up and grabbed my laptop off the coffee table. "Let's start looking now!"

_**Alice**_

"Jasper, please stop mooning over Sunny and pass her over. My boobs are about to explode and she's due for a feeding."

Although watching Jasper with Sunny was the most amazing and sexy thing I'd ever seen, the pain and pressure in my milk bags was starting to make me grouchy. He sighed before placing a kiss on her forehead and passing her over.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly as he set her on the nursing pillow. "I miss her when I'm at work and it always seems as if she's gotten bigger by the time I get home."

I patted the spot beside me. "Come on, you can watch her have dinner if you promise not to distract her. I can see already that she's taking after me in the _easily distracted_ department."

Jasper rested his head on my right shoulder as I settled her against my left breast. Sunny had thankfully not had any issues with breastfeeding and I really enjoyed the bonding time, despite the discomfort I was feeling. Aside from having achy boobs when it was time to feed her, my nipples were another story altogether. They were cracked and they hurt no matter how much udder butter I used. Mom was working on finding some homeopathic remedy for my issue.

Even with the discomfort I sometimes felt, motherhood felt right. Everyone had been correct that my fears would disappear the moment I laid eyes on her. Things came naturally to me, well, most things; Mom was thankfully here to help me with the other stuff, and Bella was a great help too.

Jasper was teaching summer school now and I knew he was sad about missing precious time with his baby girl. At two weeks old, she was changing rapidly and I couldn't blame him for feeling like he was missing out. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, though; summer school ended in two weeks and then he'd have another two weeks off before he had to begin prep for the new year.

Sunny looked up at me with her milky blue baby eyes and I wondered just how clearly she could see me. Light snoring in my ear drew my attention away from the baby, and I knew that my poor husband had dozed off. He insisted on helping at night, even though he had to get up early for work, so he was prone to napping when he got home.

Mom walked into the kitchen, her arms laden with grocery bags. I held up a hand, hoping to alert her to the sleeping daddy beside me. My success was evident when her banging around became reduced to muffled thuds and quiet crinkling. She came over to the couch when she was finished and sat in front of me on the coffee table.

"How long has he been asleep?" she whispered.

"Not very long. Can you please grab a receiving blanket? She needs to burp before we switch sides."

Mom immediately grabbed the blanket that was just out of my grasp, handing it over as I tried to unlatch my milk-drunk daughter without jostling her father. She sat on my leg, my left hand supporting her head and neck while I gently patted her back with my right. She wasn't long in letting out a wet burp before she began fussing. I wiped the spit-up from her little lips and chin before moving her over to my right breast. It took a little coaxing, but she eventually caught on and began to smack her lips.

Jasper shifted a little, his head moving down so it was resting against the big quarter-moon shaped pillow beside Sunny's little blonde head. Mom grabbed her camera and snapped a couple of photos. I could only assume it looked pretty cute—daddy and daughter fast asleep, head-to-head.

"I'll get started on supper. I picked up some spinach for a salad and although I know you're not a huge fan, I bought some liver."

When I tried to protest, she held up a hand. "No buts, Alice. You're still anemic and you need the iron. I know how much you hate liver but I e-mailed my friend Khadidja for a recipe that I think you and Jasper will both enjoy. I've had her liver dish before and had no idea that that's what I was even eating. I thought some couscous might be a nice change too."

"Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it. Oh, speaking of anemia, I have a follow-up tomorrow. Can you take me? Jasper has to work."

I felt her warm hand cup my cheek. "Of course, sweetie."

A smile graced my lips as I leaned into her comforting touch. "Thanks, Mom, for everything."

"It's my pleasure and honour to be able to help you adjust to your new role as a mother."

Mom was right; Khadidja's liver recipe was incredible. There were so many layers of flavor that the liver was almost undetectable. Jasper had no idea what he had been eating until I commented on it.

"Huh," he grunted, surprised. "Guess you pulled the wool over my eyes, didn't you? Kudos, Millie."

I helped Mom with the clean up after dinner while Jasper bathed Sunny. As much as I wanted to be the one doing it, I knew it was important for him to have alone time with her and bath time was a great chance for some daddy-daughter bonding. I could hear him talking to her as he explained what he was doing and I couldn't help but tear up. Mom gave me a hug. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Jasper began to sing _You Are My Sunshine_ to her as he gave her a post-bath massage with an organic, all-natural lavender lotion Mom had brought. I couldn't hold myself back and had to join in. My heart swelled as I watched him gently knead her chubby arms, then her legs, then lovingly place a kiss above her heart. "I love you so much, Sunny. You are my sunshine and there's nothing in this world that will ever change that. I'll never hurt you; I'll always be here for you."

"Oh, Jazzy," I wept, "she and I are so lucky to have you."

He smiled at me, his eyes wet with unshed tears. "You two are my life. Always."

Somehow _always_ seemed like a long time, yet never long enough. I wondered if other people felt a love as intense as mine was for my husband and daughter.

I certainly hoped so.

* * *

**I warned you that it was fluffy. Are you hating the fluff? I feel like I'm letting you angst-lovers down.**

**I want to thank everyone for the well-wishes. RL would suck a whole lot more if I didn't have you guys encouraging me and pushing me forward.**

**I have been CONSUMED by a story over the past few days. I don't know who suggested it...I think it might have been Fanny or ASS. Regardless, this is an incredible story that's got heartbreaking angst, witty banter, and a shitton of music references from my little corner of the world. I don't think I'll easily forget the Edward and Bella in this story and I'm pretty sure it will take a high place in my list of favourite fics. **

**What's the damn title, you're all probably screaming. It's called _Dead on my Feet_ and it's by Cesca Marie**

**I still have 6 chapters to read in DomF, and I'm going to trust her that it's going to have a happy ending. **


	42. Chapter 40

**I'll be brief...HUGE thanks to Minna and Katmom for their epic awesomeness.**

**I don't think tissues are necessary, but you never know with this story.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Jaden**_

Is it bad that I didn't want to leave the cabin? We were having so much fun that I didn't want it to end.

But just like everything else that's fun, it did.

All the activities were awesome, but I think my favourite times were the quiet ones we had at night, sitting on the porch or out on the dock where we looked up at the stars. Dad told me stories about when he was little and all the adventures he had with Bella and Edward.

Mom didn't tell as many stories. When I asked why, she sighed sadly. "I didn't have a very happy childhood. Mama Hale…"

I had met Mama Hale and although I'm just a kid, I'm not stupid. I know that Mama Hale was really mean to her kids. I leaned over and rested my head on her arm. "It's okay, Mom, you don't have to explain."

She smiled again. She always smiles when I call her Mom. It still feels weird calling them mom and dad, and there are times when I forget and call them Emmett and Rosie. It'll take some time, I think. It's a big change and sometimes my brain can be a little slow.

So, really, I wasn't totally sad about being back home in Seattle. I missed everyone and was excited to see Lily because I heard she learned some new things while I was away. I wanted to see her right away, but had to wait until the day after we got back, _and_ after an appointment with Dr. Scott.

My meetings with Dr. Scott were getting better now that I was talking to him. It just seemed silly not to, and even though he still upset me, it was easier to feel better after I talked about why I was upset.

Mom went to meet her therapist Amanda while Dad took me to see Lily. We agreed that we would meet up afterwards and go to Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper's house for dinner so we could visit with Sunny and Millie before she went home to Arizona in a couple of days. I'm not sure where Arizona is, I think it's down below somewhere, but I hear it's pretty. Millie wants me to come visit her and Liam some day; she said she'd show me a real cactus.

Lily was sitting in her wheelchair when we went into her room.

"Hi, Lily!" I said, running over to her. She smiled and held out her arms. I gave her a hug. "I missed you when I was away, but I brought some stuff for you."

"Jay!" she said, "Jay! Jay! Jay!"

I smiled at her. "Yup, that's me, Jay-den."

She lifted a hand and pointed to Dad. "Em!"

"That's right! That's Em-met."

Peter waved and at her and smiled. "Who am I, sweetpea?"

"Daaa-da!"

I was so happy when I heard her trying to talk. She was getting better every day and I knew that someday we'd be able to play together and do stuff. "Awesome, Lily! You learned a lot when I was away didn't you?"

"Want to show him what else you can do?" Peter asked as he brought over a sippy cup.

"Yyyy-essss."

Before he put the cup on her tray, he stopped. "What do you say, Lily?"

"Pppeeeaase."

"Good girl." He set the cup down and I watched as Lily's face scrunched up as she stared at it. "It might take her a minute; it takes a lot of concentration for her to do this. Her brain is re-learning how to make her body move. As her brain gets, well, stronger I guess, it won't take as much effort for her to do it."

We all watched as her right hand moved toward the cup, grabbed one of the handles and started to lift it.

"Whoa," I whispered.

"Watch, there's more."

It took her a couple more minutes, but she got the cup to her mouth and took a drink before dropping it on the tray.

"Wow, Lily, that's awesome! You worked really hard while I was away, didn't you?"

Her eyes smiled before her mouth did.

Peter reached down by the bed and picked something up. "The occupational therapist thought maybe she might enjoy painting. She wanted you to have her first one."

Lily squealed happily as I moved over to take the rolled up piece of paper from him. I smiled when I unrolled it; it was a mess of different colours all splashed onto the page, but it was perfect. The colours were all bright and happy, just like Lily.

"Thank you, Lily, it's really pretty." I set it down on the bed and gave her a hug. "It's perfect."

Dad looked at it and smiled. "I can't believe this is the same little girl we met in May. She's making amazing progress."

"We couldn't have done it without you guys." Peter looked at his watch. "Oh, I have to go help Edward bring in his gear. Jaden, can you hang out with Lily while we do that? You can show her what you brought back from your trip."

"Yup. Wait, what's Edward doing here today?" I asked as I picked up my backpack.

"Edward is doing music here on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays now. I offered to give him a hand with his stuff."

I jumped up and down. "Dad, can we stay and sing with him? I missed him!"

"Sure, buddy; I'll leave a message for Rosie to meet us here. I'm going to go with Peter, so you two be good, okay? No drag racing."

"We'll be fine," I said to him before looking back at Lily. "I brought some awesome stuff for you. I did a lot of painting and took lots of pictures. Dad printed them last night so I could show you."

I showed her the paintings first, before putting them up on her wall, then we looked at the photos. She got excited when she saw the horses.

"We should go horseback riding someday. It was fun."

Peter and Dad came back to tell us that Edward was getting ready to start. I unlocked Lily's brakes and with a little help from Dad at first, just to get the wheels rolling, I managed to push her down to the recreation room.

As soon as I parked Lily, I ran over to Edward and gave him a hug. "Uncle Edward!"

He laughed. "You know you can just call me Edward if you want. Mm," he hummed as he squeezed me tighter, "it's good to see you, squirt. We all missed you. Fred's been wondering where you were."

"I'm trying out different names for people. Mom and Dad said it might take a while before I figure out what works."

When he let me go, he was smiling. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to hearing you calling them mom and dad, but it works. So," he stopped and clapped his hands, "are you ready to help me do some singing?"

"I was born ready. Let's do this."

_**Emmett**_

Peter and I hung around at the back of the rec room and talked while we watched the show.

"So, your vacation went well?" he asked quietly.

"Man, I never wanted to come back. It was exactly what we all needed. No distractions, very little drama, a lot of R&R and good old-fashioned outdoor fun."

"Very little drama? That doesn't sound good."

I sighed. "It was as good as could be expected. I had hoped our two weeks would be freak out free but that was naïve of me. I live with two people dealing with Post Traumatic Stress, there's never a totally perfect week, let alone two.

"Don't get me wrong, it wasn't anything major compared to what we've dealt with in the past, but it was hard to deal with completely on our own."

Peter took a drink of water then chuckled as Jaden began dancing with an older woman and her walker. "Why didn't you call Dr. Scott? I'm sure he would have helped you through it over the phone."

"I was tempted, but I need to learn how to deal with him when these things happen, hell, _we_ need to learn how to deal with these meltdowns without having to constantly run to someone for help.

"It's easier to pinpoint the triggers and the signs that he's about to explode and now that he's better able to vocalize what's going on, we can do what needs to be done. We've figured out that his biggest issue is anxiety. If we can calm him down or at the very least get an Ativan into him, we're better able to deal with the big meltdowns," I chuckled quietly, thinking about Jaden's weak complaints about taking his _gritty kitty_ pills.

"Sounds like you're well on your way."

"We're trying. I'm still not sure how he's going to deal with school. He gets frustrated easily and it sometimes sets him off. The kids pick on him enough as it is and if they catch on to any signs of weakness I'm scared they'll use it against him."

"Yeah, but you teach at the school. You'll be there in case there's trouble."

"I can't be with him all the time. We're going to try and if it doesn't work, then we'll either home-school him or put him in this private school I've been looking into. They are a progressive school for kids who have emotional problems. The curriculum includes daily therapy, a great teacher-student ratio and a zero tolerance bullying policy. They also allow the kids to flourish in their strengths instead of stifling them, while working on their weaknesses in a way that's less stressful. They have an incredible music and art program."

Peter smiled. "It sounds like a great school."

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "It's the best alternative if mainstream school is too much for him. I need to speak to my boss, Jaden's new teacher and the district counselor. They may not even want him back in the school. He's a liability threat if he has a violent outburst around the other kids."

We quietly watched my son singing and dancing so happily and I knew what Peter was thinking—how could this little boy, so alive, so happy, so sweet, be considered a violent threat to anyone? I struggled to rationalize it on the good days; on the bad days I could see the ugly truth. My son had a tendency to strike out and he had very little control over it.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and smiled when I saw it was Rosie. I patted my lap for her to sit.

"He's really hamming it up today, isn't he?" she whispered before kissing my cheek.

"Yup, he's in fine form."

Jaden noticed Rosie had arrived and grinned. "Hi, Mom!" he waved broadly at us. "Do you need a hug?" he asked as he danced over to us.

"Always, baby."

Jaden gave her a hug before running back to Edward and continuing his little dog and pony show.

"How did it go today?" I asked quietly as she settled further onto my lap, wrapping her arms around me.

"It was hard, it hurt, but I'm feeling lighter. I just really want to see everyone. I want my family tonight. I missed them."

I laughed lightly. "You just want to get your hands on Sunny, don't you? Admit it!" I tickled her side, causing her to giggle and curl into me. A rosy blush crept up her visible cheek.

"Okay, you got me."

"Those two will be done singing soon. We can head over after we get Edward packed up."

"Mm, sounds good to me."

The boys sang a couple more songs and began putting things away, much to the chagrin of the audience. It was clear that Edward was amassing quite a fan base at the rehab.

Jaden and Peter took Lily back to her room while Rosie and I helped Edward. It was great to see the two of them hugging and really getting along. Something had shifted between them before the wedding and it made me ridiculously happy to see them becoming closer.

We couldn't contain Jaden when we reached Alice and Jasper's. He unbuckled himself and took off running toward the house. Rosie chuckled as she got out of the Jeep. "Oh no he doesn't; that baby is mine!"

I knew that Rosie wanted a baby. I hoped that one day soon, when things have calmed down, when we're all in a better place, that I'd be able to give her that, and give Jaden a chance to be a big brother again.

But that was a dream best saved for another day, another year, another lifetime.

I entered the house and was surprised by how much Sunny had grown and changed in the time that we were away. Rosie was holding her, cooing at her, and absolutely gushing over the tiny bundle in her arms.

Millie walked over with Jaden, her arms outstretched for a hug. "Emmett, my boy, give me some love."

"Millie! I got nothin' but love for you. C'mere."

I picked her up, swinging her around as I planted sloppy kisses on her cheek. Jaden laughed as he avoided being hit by a leg as we spun. She giggled when I set her down. "Oh, Emmett, I just want to bottle you up and keep you with me forever."

"Ditto, Millie. So, how's that beautiful grandbaby of yours doing?"

"She's perfect, just like her mama was when she was a baby."

"Ma!" Alice groaned, "Enough already. I'm sure no mother thinks ill of her baby."

Jasper and Rosie looked pointedly at her. Poor Alice turned about twelve shades of red before she whispered an apology. Rosie handed the baby to me and immediately went to tell Alice she wasn't upset.

I looked down at Sunny and couldn't help the stupid grin on my face. "Hey, you," I said, rubbing a finger on one of her chubby pink cheeks. "It's me, Uncle Emmett. I hope you didn't forget about me while we were gone."

Her eyes opened then, and although I knew she really couldn't focus on my face, she still tried. "You're getting so big so fast, Sunny. You'll be all grown up before we know it."

She began to fuss a little so I rocked her gently in my arms the way Emma always liked and I began to sing silly nursery rhymes to her until she settled down. The room was silent when I looked up and all eyes were on me. "What?"

Rosie licked her lips. "That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

I'm pretty sure I blushed under her heated gaze. "Not in front of the munchkins, Rosie," I teased.

If she thought seeing me holding a baby was sexy then maybe she wouldn't mind that I thought her being pregnant with my baby would be even sexier.

Alice fluttered over. "Em, can I have the baby before you run off and plow Rosie in the bathroom?"

I snapped out of my daydream and blushed again. "Nah, I'm cool."

"C'mere," she gestured for me to bend down. She planted a kiss on my cheek. "You guys'll have one soon enough. You're a great daddy. You need a houseful of little Ems and Rosies."

Jaden dragged me to the couch, begging me to let him hold his cousin. We got him settled, resting Sunny in his lap on the breastfeeding pillow and watched as he bonded with her. She was completely enraptured by him; she almost seemed to be staring at him as he spoke to her.

"You are so cute and pink and wrinkly," he cooed at her. "I can't wait until you grow up some and we can play together. You can meet Lily and we'll all be great friends."

I hoped they would. I hoped that age wouldn't harden our little guy, that he would never become a jaded, sullen teenager. I prayed that they would be close and that he would look after her, look out for her, and keep the boogeyman and hormonal teenage boys away.

Rosie's arms snaked around my waist. "Do you want one?"

I didn't need to ask what she was referring to. "Yeah, someday. Not now, though. We have too much baggage to get rid of before we can carry a baby of our own."

I felt a gentle kiss on the back of my neck. "Good plan. I can live with that."

Edward and Bella arrived not long after and after I gave Bella a good old squeeze and she had a chance to visit with Jaden, they cleared their throats and Edward spoke. "Um, everyone, we have an announcement to make."

_**Edward**_

Shit! I should have worded that different. I knew immediately that they were going to think we were pregnant.

"Before you all have coronaries, no, I'm not pregnant," Bella said quickly, cleaning up my mess.

I felt bad when I watched as everyone's face fell. "Well, that's sort of what we wanted to talk to you all about. Bella and I have been doing a lot of talking and researching and we've…well, we've decided to hold off on the pregnancy thing."

Alice gasped. "What? Why? Is everything okay?"

Bella moved to sit with her. "We need time."

"Time?" Rosie asked.

"We're still young. We aren't married yet. We haven't finished school. My body needs a break. We've decided to travel, see the world, explore all the wonderful marvels and learn more about each other."

Millie grinned. "That sounds amazing!" Of course Millie would be excited about us backpacking and finding ourselves.

I sat next to Bella. "We were rushing into the baby thing too quickly and I want time to enjoy my wife alone before we bring in another member of the family."

"Wife? Did you two elope while we were gone?" Emmett asked, confused.

"We've decided on a wedding date," Bella announced, smiling.

"WHEN?" Alice all but shrieked, eliciting a squeak out of Sunny who fussed for a moment, but then calmed down. When I looked back at Alice, I could tell that she was already making plans in her head.

"October 27th."

Mouths dropped as we assumed they would. We had chosen to get married on Emma's birthday.

"But…" Em gasped, "…it's…"

"Emma's birthday. Yes, we wanted to involve her in this somehow, not to mention that day should be a happy one and not the sad one we all seem to have," Bella said quietly. "Besides, I've always wanted a fall wedding." She turned to Alice. "Burnt sienna and brown."

Alice nodded knowingly, then smiled. "Perfect."

Emmett cleared his throat. "Burnt sienna?"

Rosie chuckled. "Bella's wedding colours."

I realized that the girls were all pretty much lost in wedding planning, so I looked at Jasper and Emmett. "We'll be taking a very short week-long honeymoon in Hawaii, but our big worldwide travels won't begin until December 31st when we are planning to fly to Australia."

"How long will you be gone, Uncle Edward?" Jaden asked.

"Six months at least. Maybe more. Depends. We're not really giving ourselves too many time constraints. We want to see what we want to see and we won't come home until we've seen it all."

"Six months? That's a long time," Jaden said quietly. Sunny had fallen asleep while he was holding her. "That's a _really _long time. That's like…um, half a year. I'll miss you guys. What about singing at the rehab? What about Fred?"

Bella got up and moved over to where he was sitting. "Well, about Fred, I was going to ask if maybe you would like to look after him?"

"Really?" he squealed. Poor Sunny woke up and began to wail.

"Oh no! Sunny, I'm sorry. I just got excited." He looked at me, eyes welling up with tears. "I'm not a very good cousin."

Alice made her way over and smiled at him. "You didn't do anything wrong, sweetie; she was probably hungry anyway. I'll feed her and I bet she'll stop." She took her daughter into her arms and moved to the nursery to feed her.

"Yes, really," Bella continued, turning her attention back to the little guy. "That is, if Emmett and Rosie don't mind him coming to visit. He would be so lonely all by himself at our house."

I laughed at Jaden as he practically tackled Emmett. "Can we, Dad? Can we look after Fred? Please? He can sleep with me and we can put his litter box in my bathroom and I promise to scoop his poops and pees and I'll feed him and…"

"Whoa!" Emmett said, putting a stop to Jaden's rambling. "Slow down, kiddo. I'm fine with Fred coming to stay with us. You need to ask Rosie too."

She smiled at him. "Of course Fred can stay with us, after all, he's family."

"Great! I'm sure he'll be thrilled," Bella said, smiling.

"Where do you plan on going?" Jasper asked me as he sat down on the coffee table to fold tiny little facecloths and onesies.

"Well, we thought we'd start over around Australia and New Zealand, then move north to Thailand, Japan, China, then Greece, and then do the backpacking around Europe thing. I really want to go to France and Bella is dying to go to Italy."

Jaden crawled up onto Bella's lap. "That's a lot of places. Will you send me postcards?"

"We sure will. We'll also buy something for you from every country we visit."

His eyes lit up. "Awesome! I can't wait!"

The evening passed quickly. Emmett, Rose and Jaden told us all about their trip, including a slideshow from Jaden's new camera. Alice and Jasper talked about being new parents and Millie entertained Jaden with many games of UNO and SkipBo.

Bella began to yawn at around eight-thirty, so we excused ourselves to go home. We had been trying to get her sorted out on a new drug regimen and one of the drugs really seemed to drain her.

We lay in bed talking about the upcoming trip and all the things we planned on doing while we were away. It was hard to hide the joy I felt at that moment; it finally felt like everything was going to be okay. I felt buoyant and downright giddy.

And then the phone rang.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, Isabella Marie Swan, what's this I hear from Millie about you two setting a wedding date and you didn't even call to tell us!"

I looked over sheepishly at Bella as I felt the beginnings of a maternal guilt trip. "Hi, Mom."

* * *

**Wedding bells are ringing in the next chapter! Finally, eh?**

**Replies might be a bit slow on the weekend because I'm heading to Prince Edward Island with some friends (one I actually met on the Twilight Lexicon!) to go to Anne of Green Gables house and eat some Cows ice cream. I'll try to get back to everyone as quickly as I can.**

**Only a few more chapters to go, folks. The end is coming quickly.**

**BE SAFE! Mother Nature is in a foul mood.**


	43. Chapter 41

**_Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle Cullen request your presence at the marriage of  
Miss Isabella Marie Swan and Master Edward Masen Cullen  
on October 27th.  
_**

**_Reception to follow._**

**_Tissues may be required._**

* * *

_**Bella**_

Planning a formal wedding in two and a half months proved to be harder than anyone expected. Alice, with Sunny strapped across her chest in a sling, had done an incredible job in the planning and execution stages while Rosie had been an absolute godsend with the other things, like dress shopping, alterations and kicking some major catering ass when they tried to screw us on the canapés.

Yes, this wedding was going to be garish, ornate and over-the-top. My dress was, in my opinion, somewhat in the meringue category, but I made it clear that I had some hard limits that I would not budge on: no puffy sleeves, no long trains, and no ridiculously large bouquet to go with it.

For the most part, once I voiced my concerns, Alice was quick to take them into consideration and work around them. Edward had been plotting something with her as well and neither one would budge on telling me what the hell they were cooking up.

The bridesmaids' dresses were gorgeous. They were simple strapless, cocktail-length dresses in my wedding colours: burnt sienna and brown. Alice had designed them for me and a former classmate of hers made them. A florist friend of Esme's had come up with the most incredible bouquets of stargazer lilies for them to carry that actually enhanced the fall hues of the dresses.

Alice even designed a little flower girl dress for Sunny, which was similar to the bridesmaids' dresses, but had a much more youthful spin. With her hair up in two very tiny, cute little pigtails atop her head, she was even more adorable than usual.

I sat in the hotel bathroom while everyone fussed over my hair and makeup. I may have dozed off once or twice while they were working on me. My bachelorette party the night before had worn me out and I found myself feeling a little unsteady. Actually, I was more than a little unsteady and had grabbed my cane just in case. I didn't think I'd really need it, though, as I would have Carlisle's strong arms to hold me up as we made our way down the aisle and I knew Edward would support me after that.

I hadn't wanted to worry anyone, but when I fell out of bed this morning in front of Alice and Rose I couldn't hide it anymore. We had run ourselves ragged and I should have seen this coming.

By most standards, my bachelorette party had been tame. The girls threw a _toy party_, showering me with sexy lingerie and sex toys. Esme even bought a Diving Dolphin for us—it's a vibrating cock ring with a dolphin-shaped clitoris stimulator. I was beyond mortified at first, I mean hell, I managed a porn store! I had seen just about everything, but the thought of my mother-in-law, no matter how cool she is, buying me sex toys? That's just...wrong! After a good twenty minutes of playful ribbing by my best friends, I couldn't do anything but laugh.

Irina bought me a book of incredibly graphic positions, very much like the Kama Sutra, but instead of ancient illustrations, they were photos of real people. It had been signed by the photographer as well. Seems they were close friends. _Very_ close friends. She pointed out several positions they themselves had engaged in. Wowza.

We laughed a lot last night, which felt good to do. On top of the wedding planning, Edward and I had been trying to get school sorted out. My thesis was in the final editing stages and I had hired someone to help me with it in case it wasn't finished before Edward and I began our travels.

Edward wasn't able to come to a deal with his teaching requirements so we postponed our trip by a couple of months. We would be boarding a plane for Australia on New Year's Eve. He worried that I would be upset by having to wait, but I wasn't; it gave me more time with Sunny and Jaden. It was going to be hard to leave them behind.

Jaden was doing so much better in some ways, but faltering in others. His old school wouldn't take him back, even after much fighting and threats of lawsuits. It had really upset him at first; serving as another reminder that he wasn't completely normal. Emmett got him into the private school that deals with children with emotional issues, and although he struggled at first, he made friends and for the first time ever, was excited to go to school. They encourage the children's strengths. In Jaden's case, he was involved in a music program and took art therapy classes three days a week. Each child also received anywhere from an hour to three hours of therapy daily—it all depended on what kind of day they were having. They had extra tutors on staff to help the kids who fell behind, and within no time, Jaden had caught up to his grade level and was actually doing some advanced work.

Although he was caught up academically, Jaden's emotional development was well below par for kids his age. He still struggled with outbursts, the odd quasi-violent tantrums, and in a couple of cases, hiding when things got particularly overwhelming. Dr. Scott had him on a low-dose antidepressant and he still had to take Ativan when he wasn't able to control his panic attacks.

The poor little guy had one hell of a panic attack on his eighth birthday. His birthday is just a couple days after mine, so they decided to surprise us both and it was too much for him; he screamed, cried, threw up, and went catatonic.

We gave up on ever having another surprise party for him again.

Even though he was still a long way off society's definition of normal, he was improving and was still a bright shining light in our lives.

"Bella? Wake up," Alice prodded gently. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," I said, stretching and yawning. "I'm just tired."

"Edward is going to be worried."

I swatted her hand away. "I'm fine. I'll have time to rest on the honeymoon."

Even though we changed our big travel plans, we were still taking a week to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. The program allowed Edward that time off in lieu of his work at the rehab.

"It's time to get you into your dress, sweetheart," Esme said quietly from behind me. She placed a warm hand on my shoulder and I quickly covered it, giving it a squeeze, and smiling at her in the mirror.

"Thanks, Esme."

I watched a tear track down her face. "I'm so happy, Bella. You really have no idea just how incredibly ecstatic I am. You've always been the daughter I never had, you've always occupied a place in my heart, and now, today, you're marrying my baby boy."

My eyes began to sting as I looked at her in the mirror. "I know, Esme. Please don't cry because I'll start to cry and I'll mess up my makeup before I get down the aisle."

I tried to get up from the chair and wobbled. Esme was quick to pull me into a hug. "I love you, Bella. Your parents would be so proud."

"I hope so. Thank you."

Rosie and Alice got me steadied and helped get me into my dress. It was strapless with a snug bodice to keep my girls in place. I'd hate to flash Reverend Hallahan—that would be mortifying and so very wrong for so many reasons.

The bodice itself was covered in an intricate custom lace that Alice had designed and sent off to be produced. It was a series of representative trees, with each tree representing someone special in my life: Mom, Dad, Emma, Edward, everyone else...everyone had a tree, yet they were all connected at the roots. The motif was inspired by the fall wedding itself and how our lives had all joined together, connecting us into a large family. It really was very beautiful and the sentiment behind it was sincere.

How she ever had the time to do it, I'll never know. Alice is a miracle worker and having a baby hasn't slowed her down one bit.

The bottom of the dress was a little pouffy, but not terribly so as it reached the floor. I had bought the cutest white shoes to wear, but because of my current balance issues, Rosie had run out and found me a pair of sparkly silver Chucks. I was elated that I'd get to walk down the aisle in sneakers instead of heels. I couldn't help but notice Alice staring at my feet with disdain, gritting her teeth and muttering something under her breath about "of course she'd wear sneakers on her wedding day."

When the girls allowed the photographer to enter, I was nearly ready. He shot some frames of us getting ready, of Esme putting my modest veil into the pile of ringlets amassed on my head. Then some fun shots of us being silly, flipping our dresses up, the girls holding me up between them, making faces. We were all laughing so hard that we had to do a second makeup application to repair the damage done by errant tears.

There was a quiet knock at the door. Esme let in a most dapper-looking Carlisle, all handsome in his tuxedo and burnt orange cummerbund. He smiled brightly when he spotted me. "Oh Bella, you...you are gorgeous in that dress. Alice," he turned to her, "you did an amazing job."

She blushed. "It would have been better if I had more time. These kids and their short engagements," she said, teasing.

Carlisle looked at me again, then frowned when he spotted my cane. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just exhausted myself with all the wedding prep and the bachelorette party. I'm just a little wobbly today. I may need to lean on you a little more than anticipated."

His smile brought tears to my eyes. "I've got you, Bella. I'll never let you fall—I'm representing two fathers today and I would hate to let Charlie down by failing you." He hugged me tightly. "You have always been my little girl, Bella, even when Charlie and Renee were with us. I'm thrilled that you're making it official."

Rosie sighed. "We need another makeup redo again. People please! We're running out of time, tissues and concealer. No more tears until Bella's feet reach the altar."

With the girls back on task, Carlisle and I were soon making our way slowly toward the lobby of the hotel, headed toward the ballroom. The girls ran ahead to be sure the boys were all in place, giving me a little more time. I hated that I was having a gimpy day, but I knew that although Edward would initially be worried, he loved me unconditionally. Gimpy or not.

Alice was just sending Millie down with Sunny and prepping Jaden when we arrived. She grinned and I knew something was afoot. After whispering to Jaden, he nodded and began to walk down the aisle in his little tuxedo—ring pillow in hand.

"Bells, I hope you're ready for this," Alice said, practically jumping out of her skin in anticipation of whatever it was that was going to take place when I walked through the big double doors. I really had no clue what was awaiting me. Alice and Edward had prohibited me from seeing the ballroom when it was ready, so I had no idea what it looked like or what they were up to. Whatever it was, it must be big.

Rosie followed Jaden, slowly making her way down the aisle as Pachelbel's Canon in D was played. Carlisle increased his grip on me as I wobbled a little.

"You okay?"

I nodded before patting his arm. "Perfect."

He chuckled. "Hold onto your garter belt, sweetie, because I think you're about to be blown away."

Alice began her walk down to where my future husband stood, and I had to laugh because she looked like she was ready to break into a sprint. Something big was definitely afoot.

All thoughts of fuckery and tomfoolery were quickly forgotten when I saw the entire ballroom. The far wall was floor to ceiling windows looking out at a beautiful sunlit garden; the remaining leaves a bright array of colours. The seats for our guests were covered in an off-white linen and accented with sashes of brown and dark orange. My attention was quickly shifted from the furniture to my incredibly gorgeous husband-to-be and where he was standing beneath a gorgeous pergola decorated with fall foliage.

"Oh my," I breathed shakily. "It's...it's amazing!"

"It pales in comparison to you, sweetie," Carlisle whispered as we stepped forward.

Edward's eyes met mine and I couldn't help but smile. The little boy I had loved so dearly had grown into a man that I both loved and admired. His handsome face lit up as he appraised me.

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world, Carlisle."

"I beg to differ, Bella dear, we are the lucky ones."

Edward turned around and spoke to the string quartet before grabbing his guitar.

"What? He's not going to—"

Oh he was.

I had always poked fun at weddings with big production numbers as the bride and groom made their way down the aisle, and had said that I would never want anything quite so grand, but I quickly retracted that when Edward spoke.

"Bella, love, I know neither one of us are overly fond of country music, and I hope you can forgive me, but there was no better song than this one to best describe my feelings on this, our wedding day."

Carlisle had to hold me up a bit as I melted at the sound of Edward's voice singing one of the most beautiful songs I'd ever heard.

_Every time our eyes meet__  
__This feeling inside me__  
__Is almost more than I can take__  
__Baby when you touch me__  
__I can feel how much you love me__  
__And it just blows me away__  
__I've never been this close to anyone or anything__  
__I can hear your thoughts__  
__I can see your dreams_

While the opening verse had been sung by Edward alone, with only his guitar as accompaniment, the string quartet joined in on the chorus, and I couldn't stop the tears. The beauty of this moment would stay with me forever, short term memory problems be damned. How did I get so lucky to have a second chance with this man?

_I don't know how you do what you do__  
__I'm so in love with you__  
__It just keeps getting better__  
__I want to spend the rest of my life__  
__With you by my side__  
__Forever and ever__  
__Every little thing that you do__  
__Baby, I'm amazed by you_

Edward walked toward me until we were standing face to face. The smile on his face was contagious, and I couldn't help but mouth _I love you_to him.

_The smell of your skin__  
__The taste of your kiss__  
__The way you whisper in the dark__  
__Your hair all around me__  
__Baby you surround me__  
__You touch every place in my heart__  
__Oh, it feels like the first time, every time__  
__I want to spend the whole night in your eyes_

_Every little thing that you do__  
__I'm so in love with you__  
__It just keeps getting better__  
__I want to spend the rest of my life__  
__With you by my side__  
__Forever and ever__  
__Every little thing that you do__  
__Baby, I'm amazed by you_

God, I was a big puddle of goo in my dress. I really wasn't sure my Jello legs would work without some help, but thankfully Edward was there to catch me.

"I got you, love. Always."

Oh yeah, this man owned me and owned me good. Thankfully in a few short minutes I would own him forever too.

* * *

_**Edward**_

My nerves were shattered. I was too anxious to realize that I was utterly exhausted until I fell asleep leaning against the bathroom wall. Jasper and Emmett may never let me live it down—they found me slumped over on the bathroom floor in my socks and boxers.

"I think the hilarious thing about this is that he's wearing black dress socks. There's just something weird about seeing someone in boxers and socks," I heard Emmett say as I began waking up.

"Shit," I groaned, "what time is it?"

Emmett and Jasper each grabbed an arm and hauled me to my feet, leading me back to the bed.

"You've got time for a half-hour power snooze, little brother. I'm going to suggest that you use that time wisely."

"But there's stuff that has to be done..."

Jasper stepped up. "Sleep. We know what needs to be done. We'll do it."

I couldn't stifle the yawn before I thanked them. "I appreciate it."

It felt like seconds later that Dad was shaking me awake. "Edward, wake up, son. Time to get married."

"Coffee," I croaked.

He chuckled as he handed me an extra large coffee cup. "I anticipated this; here."

"Thanks."

He sat on the bed beside me. "What happened last night? You guys weren't up partying all night, were you? I left you pretty late—how much later were you up?"

"I don't know, Dad. The boys went home at three? Maybe? I was down in the ballroom practicing until probably five? Maybe six? I don't know."

"Why so late? You sounded great last night with the string quartet."

I ran my hands through my hair. "I need it to be perfect so it doesn't come off as being cheesy. Bella has said before that she thinks stuff like this is over-the-top. I don't want to ruin her wedding day, Dad."

He smiled at me before putting his arm around my shoulder. "You won't. Speaking of wedding day, you'd better hurry up and get ready. The boys are bringing bagels—make sure you eat."

"Are they ready? Did they finish?" A million thoughts raced through my head; so many details that needed to be dealt with for things to go off the way I envisioned.

"Yes, son," Dad said, smiling almost sadly, "everything is ready. Now, you go get cleaned up and dressed while I go make sure the girls are okay."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

Dad hugged me. "I love you too, and I'm so proud of you."

I laughed. "Yeah, I'm finally making an honest woman of the Chief's daughter."

~0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

The ballroom looked even more amazing in daylight than it had last night. Alice and her friends had outdone themselves on everything and I couldn't wait to see the dress my Bella would be wearing.

Our guests were arriving and several stopped to greet me, wishing me well, commenting on the setup and the incredible weather. I responded as best I could, but I was still so nervous that it was hard to focus.

Emmett and Jasper joined me with Jaden in tow. I gathered them around as we went over the game plan.

Mom came scooting around the corner, waving for the big boys to head to the front of the room while she gave Jaden the pillow and rings. Jasper, then Emmett walked down the aisle. I made my way as soon as they were settled and stopped for a moment to shake Rev Hallahan's hand, thanking him for doing this for us. Although a lot of our memories involving Rev Hallahan had been involving funerals, he was still the best choice of person to marry us, as he had married both sets of our parents, christened all of us kids, and presided over the funeral of Bella's parents and our daughter.

Alice waved in our direction, prompting Jasper to cue the string quartet to play. I had been lucky that some classmates had offered to play when I was asking around for ideas. We were able to meet up at the conservatory to practice in private and I was thrilled with the arrangement we'd come up with for my big surprise.

Millie came down the aisle with Sunny, followed by Jaden and the rings. Both kids looked so cute; it was hard not to smile. He gave me a fist bump, then joined Em.

First Rosie, then Alice made their way toward us. They were absolutely glowing. I heard Em and Jasper take deep breaths when they spotted their wives and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Finally I made eye contact with my future, my heart, my life. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was a vision of perfection, she was beauty personified and she was mine. I prayed silently in thanks for the second chance with her.

"I am the luckiest man alive," I whispered to Em.

Em let out a low whistle. "Wow, she's fucking gorgeous."

"Language, Dad!" Jaden said sternly.

I took a deep breath and reached behind me for my guitar. I signalled the quartet and I began serenading my girl with _Baby I'm Amazed_ by Lonestar. The song choice seemed a little odd to my family until they heard the words and they understood why I chose a country song instead of something more along our normal taste in music. I just couldn't find anything else that said exactly what I wanted to say to Bella. My fears were allayed when she smiled at me—I knew she wasn't mad about it.

Dad escorted her slowly down the aisle and I couldn't help but notice that she was unsteady. I had told her not to run herself ragged—I just hoped she didn't have a seizure.

Everyone was in tears by the end of the song and I almost joined them when Bella stumbled. I ran over to her and Dad, catching her.

"I love you always," I whispered.

"Edward, that was..."

I cringed. "Awful? Garish? Over-the-top?"

She smiled. "Awesome! I feel so special."

Dad and I each took an arm until we reached Reverend Hallahan. I handed my guitar to Emmett and focused on the task at hand—marrying my soul mate.

"Who gives this woman to be married?" Reverend Hallahan said.

"My wife and I do, as proxy for Isabella's parents."

Bella leaned over and gave Dad a kiss on the cheek before he did the same and placed her other hand in mine.

"Thanks, Dad."

I felt Bella's grip tighten up on me. "I'm unsteady today, Edward. I need you to hang on tight," she whispered.

"I'll never let you go."

Reverend Hallahan continued. "I was honoured to be asked to perform this wedding today. I've known both Bella and Edward since they were infants," he paused to chuckle, "as a matter of fact, I was the one who married their parents and christened them as infants. I guess that makes me seem pretty old, doesn't it?"

Everyone chuckled at his joke for a moment, before he continued. "I'm most proud of being a part of the happy ending of this love story. They grew up as best friends, grew into lovers, gave birth to the most amazing and delightful child, then had their world turned upside down by tragedy. Today we get to put the tragedy that divided them behind us so we may join them together in the eyes of the Lord, as husband and wife, and pray that they know nothing but joy from here on out.

"Their story is one of profound loss, but also of a great love, a true example of strength, compassion, forgiveness and more importantly, of how love never dies."

Bella squeezed my hand and when I looked at her, I saw a tear tracking down her cheek. "I love you," I whispered.

"I love you more," she replied.

"There are three special people who may not be here in body, but are here in spirit. Bella and Edward wish to acknowledge them before we get to the vows.

"Would everyone please join us in the garden?"

Alice rushed over to take Bella's other arm as we slowly made our way to the beautiful garden outside. We had initially wanted to have the entire ceremony out there, but the weather in Seattle is just too unpredictable. We chose the '_better safe than sorry'_ path.

Angela and Bree met us outside, smiling widely. They each gave Bella a hug, then began distributing the purple helium balloons they had been keeping in large bags. When they had all been handed out, Bella and I turned to our guests.

Bella cleared her throat before addressing the crowd. "Today is a special day for many reasons. Of course it's our wedding day, but it's also Emma's eighth birthday. We wanted her to be a part of this, thus the purple balloons."

I gave her a squeeze before I had my turn to speak. "Charlie and Renee Swan, Bella's parents, are also missing today, but only in body because it's too easy to feel them with us. All three of them. So to honour them, tied to each purple balloon is a small package of sunflower seeds; a flower that represents each one of them in so many ways.

"The packets are biodegradable, so our hope is that in time, wherever the seeds end up, they will take root, grow, and brighten someone's day, just as they did ours."

Bella smiled at me, tears streaming down her face. "I love you."

Reverend Hallahan spoke next. "Lord, please watch over your flock and grant us all the peace of understanding, for we shall all be reunited in your kingdom again."

Alice began to sing Happy Birthday as she released her balloon. As our guests joined in, I couldn't help but smile as the sky became dotted with bright purple reminders of the incredible child we had the honour and pleasure of knowing and loving even for as briefly as we did.

We moved back inside for the vows. Alice ran to grab chairs for us, as Bella's legs were tiring and threatening to give out. I would have picked her up and held her in my arms, but she protested.

As soon as everyone was seated, Reverend Hallahan began again. He spoke of love, of loss, of forgiveness and imparted some marital advice on us before it was time for the vows.

"Jaden, son, could we have the rings?"

The little guy stepped out from beside Emmett and brought over the pillow. I untied the rings and prompted Jaden to take one to Bella. When I saw that she was ready, I took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Bella, my love, my heart, my soul, it would mean the world to me if you would wear this ring as a symbol of our eternal love.

"I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't in love with you. It seems that you have been there with me, for me, and beside me since the beginning as my best friend, my protector, my kindred, my soul mate and my lover. When we went through the most unimaginable anguish and grief, and I made some very wrong choices, I never thought you'd see past them to still love me, but here we are." I smiled at her as I slid the ring onto her shaking finger. "With this ring, I promise to love, honour and cherish you for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until the end of time."

"Edward, we have lived a thousand lifetimes together—not always good ones—but we always get through them. Our paths divided for a time, but we found one another again, rebuilding what once was great into something spectacular. Apart we were broken, but together we are strong. I am proud to call you my best friend, my lover, and in a few short moments, my husband. For the first time in a long time, the future is bright for both of us. I love you, my sweet Edward, and I would be honoured if you would wear this ring as a symbol of my undying love and devotion to you, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health."

I watched as she slid the ring onto my finger and couldn't help the sob that escaped from deep within me. I slid off the chair onto my knees and put my head in Bella's lap. "Thank you, Bella," I said between sobs. "Thank you so much."

Her fingers ran through my hair as she cried quietly. "Shh, baby, it's okay. Let's let Reverend Hallahan finish so we can finally be married."

After a moment, I stood and held my hands out to Bella to help her to her feet. We turned to face the Reverend and caught him wiping a tear from his cheek.

"By the power vested in me by the State of Washington and our Heavenly Father above, I hereby declare you to be lawfully wed. You may kiss your bride."

I leaned down and kissed my bride, my wife, my life, with a passion I had never known to exist. When people started clapping and catcalling, I pulled back a little and rested my forehead on hers.

"Hi, wife," I said, panting. "I love you."

Her smile was brighter than a thousand suns. "Hi, husband. I love you more."

When I heard Reverend Hallahan announce us as Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen, I scooped my wife up in my arms and carried her down the aisle as our friends and family clapped and cheered for us.

We did it. Bella and I finally did it. We survived hell and finally found heaven.

* * *

**Yay! They're finally married!**

**I need to thank Minna and Katmom for their beta skills. And NO, Minna, you aren't lazy.**

**So, um, I hate to do this, but I know that you guys are amazing and wonderful and won't come after me with pitchforks because of what I'm about to say, right?  
I wish I had some amazing and wonderful excuse for being a negligent douche, like winning the lottery or being swept off my feet by the Pretteh, but I don't. RL is a bitch and I have sadly fallen behind with this story. I know, I know, it's only a couple chapters away from being finished, but that's the thing-I want this story to finish on a good note and I don't want to post craptastic updates. My muse has been numbed and therefore I am kind of stuck. :(**

**That being said, my updates won't likely be weekly ones. I might be posting every two weeks, depending on how my muse is cooperating. **

**Know this, though...THIS STORY WILL HAVE A PROPER ENDING. I am not giving up, I'm just going to take a little longer to finish. **

**I sincerely apologize for this. **


	44. Chapter 42

**I'm back. Sorry for the delay...RL has really kicked me in the 'nads lately.**

**I'll tell you more at the end...we've jumped ahead in time. On to Thanksgiving!**

**Tissues might be good to have.**

* * *

_**Emmett**_

I couldn't help but smile at the well-oiled machine that was my family. Everyone but Bella and Edward, who had stayed back for one reason or another, were gathered in Mom's kitchen working on Thanksgiving dinner. Mom and Millie were working on the pies while the turkey rested nearby, tempting me with its enticing aroma. No one would miss a leg, would they?

Dad, Donald and Liam were peeling vegetables and laughing at something Jaden had said. Jaden was supposed to be snapping beans, but I think he was intent on entertaining the troops.

Alice was pre-making baby food to freeze for Sunny while Jasper and my Rosie were making the stuffing. I worried at first that they wouldn't make it the same way my mom did and that it wouldn't be as good as hers in a post-Turkey Day sandwich, but Rosie scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at me when I protested and told me to trust her.

She's my wife. I guess I can't argue with her.

What was I doing? I was snapping photos and videotaping it all, especially the kids. I was also supposed to be hacking away at the squash, which was rock hard and proving to be difficult—even for me, Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen.

Sunny let out a squeal from her bouncy chair, so Alice asked if I would mind looking after her for a few minutes while she finished up with the food. She was planning on freezing it for when Sunny was chowing down on more than cereal and the tit.

"Do you even need to ask?" I huffed as I unhooked her from her seat. At four, almost five months, she was growing like a weed and so much fun to play with. She was smiling and trying to respond to sound and sight, so I could spend hours playing with her and never get tired.

"C'mon little lady stinky pants, let's get you changed. No wonder you're so fussy."

"Diaper bag is in our room," Alice called out, "the pack-n-go change pad is in the side of the bag."

"Gotcha!" I yelled back as I bounced Sunny in my arms. "What have you been feeding her? My god!"

"Breast milk, organic formula and a little bit of cereal."

I looked at my niece and shook my head. "I guess organic is a fancy word for stinky. P-U! Come on, let's go."

We jetted up the stairs to the old nursery, which Mom had converted to a baby-friendly guest room. Sunny blew bubbles at me as I changed her diaper and I swear the little stinker laughed at me when I dry heaved.

"Stinky-poo, Sunnybubbles. If you weren't so damn cute, I'd be tempted to toss you with the diaper." I quickly gave her a big belly raspberry to make up for my nasty comment. "I'd never throw you out, I swear."

"No, Dad, don't throw out the baby!" Jaden cried out from behind me.

I picked up Sunny and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't do that, buddy. I was just playing. Want to come hold her while I clean up?"

His eyes grew huge, just as they always did when he was allowed to hold his cousin. "Really?"

"Yup. Come on over to the rocking chair."

Jaden ran over and climbed up into the plush glider. As soon as he was settled, I laid her in his arms and put the nursing pillow around them as a precaution. "How's that?"

He beamed up at me, flashing a gappy smile—he had lost a couple of baby teeth and we were waiting for his adult ones to come in. "It's perfect."

I turned to clean up the mess from changing her and smiled when I heard him singing to her. She adored him and when he sang she paid attention.

"I've heard that song before—what is it?" I asked, taking a seat on the ottoman in front of the glider. "I think Edward used to sing it."

Jaden nodded. "I heard him singing it to Sunny one day and I liked it so he taught it to me and put it on my iPod. Sunny seems to like it." He started singing again and I realized what it was.

"_Around the Bend_?"

He nodded as he continued. His little fingers brushed gently across her cheek and I couldn't help the lump in my throat. My son had endured unimaginable hardship and violence in his short life, and here he was, gentle as a lamb. I just wish the administrators at my school could see this and allow him to return. But then again, he's flourishing at his new school; his special needs are being met and handled better than the public school system could ever aspire to.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Jaden whispered loudly. "You look like you're going to cry."

"I'm okay. I'm just thinking about what an amazing cousin you are; how gentle you are with her."

He smiled up at me. "Really?" Then he shrugged and looked back at the baby, who was now asleep in his arms. "It's easy, really. I had practice with Casey."

We shared a moment of silence before he continued, this time speaking very quietly. "Can I have one someday?"

"One what, buddy?"

"A baby brother or sister?" he looked up timidly through his long lashes. "It would be nice to have a baby around again. I like babies—they keep me calm."

I got up and gave him an awkward hug, trying not to disturb Sunny, and kissed the top of his head. "I hope so, buddy. I'd love nothing more than to have a brother or sister for you. We just need to wait a bit until we're all feeling better."

He ruminated over that for a minute before he nodded. "I think that's a good idea, Dad. So, when do you think we can eat? I'm starved."

I had to laugh at how quickly he jumped topics. "Why don't we go down and see. Hopefully Sunny won't wake when I pick her up."

"Good luck with that," he whispered. Cheeky monkey.

With Sunny safely still asleep in my arms, we made our way downstairs. Rosie came rushing around the corner just as we neared the bottom. "Guess who made it?" she asked, grinning.

Jaden took off running into the living room and screamed. "LILY!"

Poor Sunny woke up with a wail, prompting Alice to come scurrying around the corner.

"It's time to feed her anyway. Thanks for changing her, Em."

I handed over the baby and received a kiss on the cheek from Alice. "Anytime, Ali."

Rosie smiled before launching herself at me. "I know I've said it before but I'm going to say it again. You, Emmett Cullen, are sexy when there's a baby in your arms."

I pouted playfully. "Only when I have a baby?"

She kissed me soundly. "Nope, you're sexy all the time and you're even sexier when you're holding a baby."

No time like the present, since we're talking about babies…"He asked."

Rosie stopped kissing my neck and pulled back. "About what?"

"Whether we were going to give him a brother or sister."

I watched as a glimmer of hope ignited a spark in her eyes. "And?"

"I told him that someday I'd like to, but that we need to get our shit together first."

A smile assured me that Rosie agreed. A kiss told me that she was happy. A grope of my junk showed me she was horny.

"You're insatiable, wife."

"You're too hot for words, husband. Now, let's go say hi to the surprise guests."

* * *

_**Edward**_

It's incredible that we managed to pull off our big surprise. Bella and I began planning with Peter and Luc about how we could get Lily to Forks without too much stress on her as a surprise for everyone. It was Thanksgiving, a time for families, and they were just as much a part of our family as anyone else at this point.

We didn't mention our plans to anyone because we didn't want to get Jaden's or Lily's hopes up if we couldn't pull it off.

I rented an SUV so we would have room for the four of us, our luggage, Lily's wheelchair and other necessities. It took a while to get everything and everyone situated, but once we were on the road, all was well. Lily was happy watching movies in the back seat with Bella, while Peter and I talked up front.

"God, it feels good getting away from that rehab for more than a couple of hours. Being able to take her out on weekend passes is amazing. You can see it in her eyes just how happy it makes her."

I looked back at the little blonde girl bopping around to the music in the movie. She really had come a long way and I knew without a doubt that she would beat all of the hurdles thrown her way. "She's a little fighter, that's for sure."

He laughed. "She's stubborn like her mother."

We drove in comfortable silence for a while until we heard Bella's quiet snores.

"She never lasts long in a car before she falls asleep," I said, chuckling. "She didn't sleep well last night either—too ramped up about today. Coming back to Forks is always a little hard on her."

"I never even…yeah," Peter said, sighing, "I can imagine why it would be hard. I mean, I don't really want to move back to Olympia because of the bad memories."

I glanced over at him before I spoke. "Then don't go back. Stay in Seattle. Sell your house and stay. Lily's going to be in rehab for a while yet and we'd hate to see you go. You guys have become part of our family."

Peter ran his hands through his hair and scrubbed at his neck before he responded. "I've thought about that."

"Bella and I were talking and wanted to see if you want to live at our place while we're gone. We'll be traveling for at least six months, maybe more. You could do us a favour by staying and keeping an eye on things. You can also save money because there's no rent to pay. You can use that time to find something a little more permanent."

He was quiet for a moment. "Really? You'd do that for us?"

"Yup, like I said, you guys are family. We take care of our own." I smiled over at him. "So?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I think that would be awesome. I could bring Lily home on weekends too because your place is more accessible. I don't know what to say…thank you can't even begin to express how much this means to me."

"Just say yes and we'll be happy."

Peter smiled widely, eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Yes."

I gave him a few moments to compose himself, which he fully took advantage of, before he cleared his throat. "I…uh…I thought for the longest time that Lily's accident was the worst thing that could possibly happen and that I must have done something terribly wrong in a past life for my baby girl to be so cursed, but…well, now I'm thinking it was more of a blessing in disguise than a curse."

"How so?"

"We didn't have much family before and now…well, now we're overflowing. You guys have been so good to us—it's almost overwhelming."

I chuckled quietly. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? Get used to it, brother mine, because the holidays are only just getting underway. Please don't take offense if the girls go crazy buying stuff for Lily."

"I won't. She needs some good, strong female role models and I couldn't think of anyone better than the women in your family."

"Daaa?" Lily called out.

"Yeah, baby? Is your movie over?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Yyyesss. Mer…mer…mermaid?"

Peter beamed at his daughter. "You said mermaid, baby! Good job! High five!"

I watched in the rearview mirror as he slapped hands with his proud little girl. "Want me to pull over?"

"If you wouldn't mind, that would be great. I think I need to readjust her a bit and get her a drink."

Peter got Lily settled with _The Little Mermaid_ and a drink while I propped Bella's head on a pillow to keep her neck from cramping up.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Peter and I talked about all kinds of things, including a long and awesome discussion about the Seattle music scene in the early '90s. We shared similar tastes in music and I realized that I had found a kindred spirit in Peter. We promised to hit the next Pearl Jam concert together.

Lily's excitement was contagious as we pulled up the long driveway to the house. It was also loud, waking Bella. No one came out to greet us, so I knew our surprise was still intact. After getting Lily out of the car and into her chair, we quietly made our way into the house.

Rosie spotted us first and clapped her hands gleefully. The others came out into the foyer to see what all the commotion was about and were all equally surprised and excited to see the four of us. But there were people missing. Lily asked before I could, as to the whereabouts of a particular little boy she had been excited to see.

Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion before she called out, "Jay? Jaaaay?"

Mom hugged me at that moment so I asked her where he was.

"He and Emmett are upstairs with Sunny. I'm sure they'll be down shortly." She squeezed me tightly. "Mm…it's so good to have all of my babies under one roof."

Millie ran over for a hug and squeezed almost as hard as my mom had. "Oh, Edward, you sneaky boy. I think you just made your Mom's Thanksgiving. She was bummed that you and Bella weren't going to make it. Of course she'd never say it out loud, but you could tell. And then you bring Peter and sweet Lily too? Mm…you're such a good boy."

I laughed at Millie's gushing over me. "Thanks, Millie. I try."

She kissed my cheek before releasing me. "You're doing great, kiddo."

Jaden ran past us and screamed Lily's name before throwing himself at her. We all watched and by the emotional reunion going on, you'd think they hadn't seen each other in months instead of a couple of days. He asked if he could give her a tour of the downstairs and play the piano for her.

"Dinner will be ready soon, so don't go too far," Mom reminded him.

He grinned at her and nodded. "Thanks, Nana."

The kids took off, leaving us in their wake. Mom clapped her hands together. "Okay, battle stations everyone! Let's get this dinner on the table!"

We all knew that the Thanksgiving speeches would be emotional, but it wouldn't stop any of us from waxing poetic about the many blessings in our lives.

Dad stood up and looked at each one of us seated at the table and smiled. "I don't know if I have ever felt an abundance of gratitude like I do right now, looking at all of you seated around our family table. Each one of you _is_ family, whether by blood, by choice, or by circumstance. You each hold a special place in my heart and I am thankful for each and every one of you." He turned to Millie, Liam and Donald. "I am thankful for new friends, for new kindred spirits, and for new beginnings." He looked at Peter and Lily next. "I am ever so thankful for miracles and the hidden blessings that come from tragedy." He looked at Emmett and Rosie and chuckled. "I'm even more thankful for BIG miracles, like someone finally seeing through Emmett's charming and childish veneer to the wonderful man that he is."

He skipped over Jaden and onto Alice, Jasper and Sunny. "I am thankful for old friends bringing forth new life and reminding us of the beauty and the wonder of a new child."

Dad smiled warmly at Bella and myself. "I am thankful that these two star-crossed lovers finally collided and are now married! It's about time, you two. Sheesh."

Everyone laughed, but Dad held up a finger to still them. "Bella, sweet dear daughter of mine, I look at you and I am thankful that you are still with us, that you will continue to be with us, and that you have brought my son back to life. There are great things ahead for you both. I know it. And Edward, my youngest, my sensitive boy, I am ever so thankful that you have been reanimated and are thriving again. For so many years you withered under your grief, but now…" Dad choked up a bit, "now you're stronger than ever. Thank you for coming back to us."

There wasn't going to be room for me to eat my turkey dinner if I couldn't dislodge the damn lump in my throat. Dad was going to kill me with this speech.

"Esme, my darling wife, I am thankful every day that God saw fit to give you to me, and I hope you know the extent of my love for you."

I heard a little sniffle at the other end of the table. Jaden was sitting in his chair, his knees brought up to his face, and although his face was hidden, you could easily see that he was crying.

"Jaden? What's wrong, baby?" Rose asked him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Papa isn't thankful for me. I don't think he loves me," he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Dad quickly moved to his side and knelt down beside him.

"Have you ever heard the saying, _save the best for last_?"

Jaden nodded.

"I saved you for last for a reason, sweetheart. I am most thankful for _you_ this year. You are the most amazing blessing that we never expected, and I wanted to save you for last for that reason."

"Really?" he said, sniffling.

"Yes," Dad said, before picking Jaden up and sitting with him in his lap. "You are the miracle we needed, so that makes you special. You are magic, Jaden. You made our family bigger and better than ever. We were all so sad a lot of the time before you came along, but you chased the sad away, you were the sunshine we needed to grow as people and as a family. You reminded us that although we have lost a lot, we have much to gain."

Jaden grinned. "I did that? Really?"

Dad hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head. "Yes, you did."

"People keep saying that, but sometimes it doesn't feel real. I'm just a little boy. I don't know how I can do all that stuff and not really know it."

Peter spoke up. "I'm very VERY thankful for you, Jaden. Look at Lily—she's a perfect example of the magic inside of you. I don't think she'd be nearly as far along as she is if you hadn't met her. Right, sweetpea?"

Lily grinned and nodded. "Jay. F…f…fend. Lllllll…ove."

"See? You helped her get to this point because you believe in her, just like we all believe in you."

The poor little boy began to sob. Dad rocked him gently as he rubbed his back. "What's wrong, Jaden? Have we upset you?"

"N…no, I'm full."

Emmett put his hand on Jaden's back and tried to crack a joke. "Full? Full of what, buddy? Beans?"

It worked, Jaden giggled a little bit between hiccups. "No, silly Dad. I'm…full of love or something. I'm full of happy. I'm just…just so full that I had to cry so I wouldn't explode."

I don't think he was alone on this. I looked around the table to see that there wasn't a single dry eye in the room. We all watched with vested interest as Jaden composed himself. He kissed Dad on the cheek and whispered to him. Dad nodded and stood, carrying Jaden to the head of the table, where he stood the little guy up on his chair. "Go ahead."

Jaden smiled at him before he addressed us. "Since it's Thanksgiving, I wanted a turn to thank you all because…because I don't know where I would be if Dad hadn't've come to the hospital that night. So, Dad and Mom, thank you. I am thankful that you came and helped me get better, took me home, and didn't give me back when I freaked out all the time. I'm thankful for my new house, for my awesome yard, my new school and that Uncle Edward and Aunt B are going to let Fred stay with us. Thank you for loving me."

"To the whole family, thanks for letting me be one of you. I like being a Cullen. A lot. Being a Cullen means that I am loved and I am safe, and that I have a big family. I never had a big family before. It's fun."

Dad passed Jaden a water glass and picked up his own glass of wine and raised it. "To family!"

Everyone echoed his toast then held hands as Dad said grace.

"Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless this food and this family that we may grow in body, mind and soul. We thank you for your endless bounty and for the miracles which you have bestowed upon us." He paused to whisper something to Jaden who grinned and began to speak.

"Oh yeah, God is good, God is great, thank you for the food on my plate. Amen."

Emmett high fived his son as Jaden returned to his seat. "Good job, buddy."

As soon as Jaden was seated, he looked around the table before thumping his fists down on the table. "I want a drumstick please!"

My brother got an evil gleam in his eye as he regarded Jaden. "You'll have to fight me for it."

I laughed so hard I choked when Jaden held his hand up to his father and said: "Well, bring it on, Dad, because I fight dirty when it comes to the birdie."

It never ceases to amaze me just how alike those two are. It's almost frightening.

* * *

**Let it be known in the ficdom that Katmom and Minna rock my socks off.**

**Here's what's up...as you all know, my apartment has been trying to kill me for a while. After another stupid flood last weekend (only this time it was in the front of the apartment) my landlords have finally pulled their heads out of their asses and are letting me move. I found a cute, quirky place that I'm moving into in a couple of weeks. So, in the meantime, I'm packing and trying to get my shit together. **

**I've been working away when I can on the next chapter and I'm hoping to have it ready in the next couple of weeks. **

**I really am sorry for the delays. I have tried so hard to keep things on time and on schedule, but sometimes life happens when you least expect it. I hope you'll all stick with me until the end...which is just a couple more chapters.**

**Cheers!**


	45. Chapter 43

**Things happened a lot faster than expected. Woo hoo!**

**This is the last chapter before the epilogue, which is almost finished. I'll be posting it as soon as it's ready.**

**Massive mounds of love to Minna and Katmom who have been the best cheerleaders a girl could have. I am blessed.**

* * *

**Christmas**

_**Jaden**_

Would it be wrong if I lied and said that I slept last night, because I totally didn't? Me and Lily were awake almost all night because we were so excited about Christmas. Peter said that it was bad for Lily to miss out on sleep, but we couldn't help it; as soon as one of us would fall asleep, the other would wake up. Let me tell you, when you share a bed with Lily and she wakes up, you do too. She kept kicking me, which I know wasn't always her fault, but I think some of the times she did it, it was definitely not an accident.

Nana and Papa wanted us to go to Forks for Christmas, but Dad convinced them to come here instead. He said that he used Aunt B's waffles as ammunition but that confused me because I couldn't understand why Dad would want to shoot Nana and Papa with waffles. Peter and Lily were going to be alone, so of course we had to have them over to celebrate with us. They practically live here anyway, and when Aunt B and Uncle Edward go on their trip, they will move into their house for a while.

Fred hopped up on the bed beside me and gave me a head bump. "You hungry, Fred?"

He bumped my head again. "I guess so. You know I'm not supposed to get out of bed until the clock says six, right? It only says five forty five."

Cats can't tell time, so I figured it was a good excuse. "Lily, I have to go feed Fred. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Hurrrr-rreeeee!" she whispered loudly.

"Don't worry, we won't get in trouble. We'll still get to open our presents. Come on, Fred, let's go."

I hopped off the bed and put on my SpongeBob slippers and tiptoed down to the kitchen to where we keep the food for Fred. He almost tripped me a bunch of times and he was purring so loud he was whistling. I was afraid he was going to wake someone up.

After the food was put down and I changed his water, I turned to go back upstairs and ran smack into Dad.

"Hey, kiddo, what're you doing up so early? You weren't peeking, were you?" he asked, lifting his eyebrow at me the way he does when he thinks I'm up to no good.

I shook my head. "I swear I wasn't, Dad. Fred was hungry and he wouldn't stop head butting me and—"

He laughed quietly. "It's okay, buddy. I know you wouldn't cheat. So, is Lily awake too?"

"Yeah, she's up there waiting for me. She's scared I'm going to get caught and we won't be able to open any presents."

"Fair enough. Well, I don't see why you two should have to stay up there until everyone is awake. Why don't I bring Lily down so you two can watch a movie on the big screen downstairs?"

My eyes got big when he said that. "We can go chill out in the Man Cave?"

Dad's Man Cave was for the big boys. I mean, I've played down there, but it's always with Dad and the uncles. I couldn't believe that he was going to let us hang out down there.

Dad grinned at me. "Merry Christmas, buddy."

We went upstairs so we could get Lily and she was beyond excited because she had only been in the basement once before. Dad popped in "Cars" while Lily and I snuggled in under some blankets on the big curvy couch.

"I'll go grab some juice and some yogurt for you two. Be back in a flash."

I think my favourite part about Christmas Day was when the three of us were all cozy on the couch watching a movie and eating first breakfast. Dad was laughing along with us and doing the voices, making Lily laugh so hard I thought she was going to fall out of her seat. Heck, we were laughing so hard we didn't hear when Peter came down and joined us. Soon there were four, and then there were five when Mom came down. Well, six if you count Fred, who had to promise Dad that he wouldn't scratch up the furniture or poop on the pool table.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

"Is that Nana?" I asked, yawning and stretching. "What time is it?"

Mom jumped up. "Oh shhhhhitake mushrooms! Emmett, hop to it! The others are here. We were supposed to finish the prep work for breakfast."

"Peter, can you…?" Dad began as he got up and started running toward the stairs.

"I got it, Em. We'll be up to help in a few minutes." He turned to us. "Alrighty you two, let's go upstairs and get ready."

Peter picked up Lily while I picked up Fred and we made our way upstairs. I made sure I closed the door behind me so Fred wouldn't go back down and get himself in trouble. So far in the week that he had been staying with us he had been really good, only having one accident because I forgot to leave my bathroom door open. Oops.

While Peter took Lily to the bathroom and got her changed into her not-quite-pajamas comfy clothes, I did the same and I cleaned Fred's litter box, just like I promised to do every day. When I got downstairs everyone had finally arrived. I ran around the kitchen and the family room giving hugs to the aunts and uncles, Grampa Donald, Millie and Liam and of course Sunny, who was dressed all pretty in a little dress that looked like Santa's suit.

"Okay, while we're waiting for breakfast, how about if everyone opens their stockings!" Mom suggested as she carried in a box full of stockings. "It looks like everyone was well-behaved this year after all! By the looks of these, no one has a lump of coal. Jaden, sweetie, do you want to help me pass them out?"

I jumped up and quickly delivered the stockings to everyone before taking mine and sitting back down on the floor with Lily and Sunny. Now that Lily was getting stronger, she didn't have to sit in her chair all the time, mostly just when she needed to get around. Someday she'll be walking again, I just know it. I had hoped that maybe we would wake up Christmas morning and she would be all healed again and we'd have a Christmas miracle, but we didn't, and that's okay. I will always love her, it doesn't matter if she walks or not.

My stocking had some awesome Star Wars figures, new paintbrushes, some chocolate, some Mike n Ikes, a comic book and a $50 iTunes card so I could download more music for my iPod. Man, I must have been REALLY good this year to get all that in my stocking.

Lily had a $50 iTunes card in hers too, and some candy and a new copy of The Little Mermaid, only this time it was on Blu-ray.

The grown-ups were all laughing at the things they found in their stockings, except for Aunt B and Uncle Edward, who were excited about all the little tiny shampoos, lotions, and books they got for their trip. They were leaving in six days which was totally bumming me out. I was going to miss them something awful.

"Who wants breakfast?" Nana called out. "I'll go put on the waffles. Bella, dear, is the batter in the fridge?"

"Yes, Esme. I'll be right out to give you a hand."

Everyone got up to go, but I stayed behind for a second, waiting for Aunt B and Uncle Edward.

"What's up, kiddo?" Uncle Edward asked, sitting back down on the couch and patting a spot beside him. "You look kind of down? Aren't you happy with your stocking?"

I gave him a big hug. "I'm just a little sad today, nothing big."

"Why, sweetie?" Aunt B asked as she sat down beside us. "Did something happen? Are you missing your mommy today?"

"It's not that, I mean, yes, I always miss Mommy, but I was watching you guys getting excited about all the travel stuff you got in your stocking and it made me sad because you're leaving soon and I'm going to miss you guys. I'm sorry; I'm being rude."

"Oh, sweetie, we're going to miss you too, but don't worry, we can Skype, so we'll never really ever be very far away. And don't forget about our project."

"I haven't. Me and Dad went and bought the map the other day." I smiled at Edward because I was really excited about what we were going to do. We were going to set up a giant map of the world where I could track their trip and put up the postcards and pictures they sent. My job was to search online for things about the country where they were and send them an e-mail. That way we were staying in touch and I was learning about all kinds of new places. Then, after the trip, we were going to go to my school and do a presentation to my class sometime in the fall.

"Six months really isn't that long, buddy," Uncle Edward said, hugging me tighter. "It'll fly by. You'll be busy and you won't even notice we're gone."

"I hope so," I whispered.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get some breakfast before your dad eats it all. We can spend time together before we leave, I mean, we have six more days before we go. Don't be sad about us on Christmas; today is about family and spending time with your loved ones, and right now, we're hogging you all to ourselves."

"He better not eat my waffle," I said, growling like a bear. "He knows not to mess with my waffles."

"Oh!" Aunt B said before I ran into the kitchen. "I made some waffles for you to eat while we're away. They are in my deep freeze at home. I'll bring them over before we go away because I'd hate for you to miss them for six months."

I hugged her. "You're the best, Aunt B. Thank you."

Breakfast was loud and silly and deeeeeelicious! Aunt B's waffles are always good and always make everyone happy. When we finished eating and had cleaned up the mess, Dad made another big mess when he decided to wipe chocolate sauce on Mom's face. Sometimes I have to wonder who is the kid and who is the grownup around here sometimes. After all that cleaning we FINALLY moved to the living room to open presents.

I have lived through seven Christmases in my life so I think I know a thing or two about presents, but never in my eight years had I ever seen so many in one room! There was hardly any room for people to sit because there were presents everywhere. There were even presents in the dining room!

"Who wants to be Santa?" Papa called out. Of course Dad jumped up and said he wanted to do it. Uncle Edward had told me to be prepared for Dad's _inner child_ to come out, and that he'd be acting like a big kid over the holidays.

"Want to help me hand them out, kiddo?" Dad asked. I nodded and ran over to him, or, as close as I could get to him. Seriously, there were so many presents that Peter couldn't even get Lily's chair into the room. He sat with her in his lap on the love seat.

Dad passed me presents to deliver to everyone, and as soon as we each had one, we opened them. Everyone held them up to show what they had been given. Everyone had some really nice stuff. Mom cried when Dad gave her the pretty charm bracelet we had picked out. There was a charm for everyone in the family on it, even Fred. She hugged us both and said it was the most thoughtful present she had ever been given.

Lily got really excited when she opened the presents from me; I bought her a couple of new book series to read, ones Aunt B said that she would really like. There was _Anne of Green Gables_ and _Little House on the Prairie_. They sounded kind of girlie to me, but she said that I would probably really like them if I gave them a chance. I also got her a charm bracelet. It wasn't as fancy as Mom's was, but it was pretty and had some fun charms on it.

It took hours for us to get through the presents and some were brought in from other parts of the house too, like Uncle Edward and Aunt B's new luggage for their trip, and the new swing for Sunny. Someone had already put it together and the second they put her in it, she started making happy squealing noises.

After a while, there was only one present left and it was HUGE. Dad brought it over to me and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what it was. It was THE biggest Harry Potter Lego set I had ever seen—it was Hogwarts! I jumped up and down and squealed. "No way!"

"What is it, Jaden? Why don't you show everyone what you have there," Nana said.

I held it up as best I could, because it was really heavy. "It's Hogwarts! Lily, look! It's Hogwarts! We can build it together with our dads."

Everyone oohed and aahed over it and I didn't notice something until I was about to set it down. There was an envelope taped to the back. I pulled it off and looked inside.

* * *

_**Emmett**_

I knew he'd go apeshit over the Lego set the second Mom and Dad mentioned they were going to buy it for him. I really wasn't sure how he would react to the second part of the present and I really wasn't expecting the reaction we got. He opened the envelope, looked inside, closed it, looked inside again, and repeated this two more times before he fell onto his ass and started to cry.

Mom rushed over to him right away and held him as he cried. "It's okay, sweetie."

"But…oh…I…how…" he was so overwhelmed that he couldn't formulate a sentence for a good five minutes.

"Real?" he finally croaked out. "For real?"

Mom nodded. "Yes, sweetie."

"Harry Potter World? For real?"

"Yes, for real."

He looked back into the envelope. "There are an awful lot of tickets in here."

"That's because there are an awful lot of people going," she replied, smiling at Dad. I had to wonder what they had cooked up. I knew they wanted to take Jaden to Harry Potter World, and there was talk of Rose and me going with them, but…

"Peter, we would like to invite you and Lily to join us when we go to Harry Potter World," Dad said to a very shocked Peter. Lily, however, squealed and clapped enthusiastically. Jaden hopped off Mom's lap and ran over to his best friend and hugged her. "We're going to Hogwarts, Lily!"

"Hhh…arry!"

"That's right, Lil, we're going to see Harry!" Jaden jumped up and down, nearly falling over onto the presents.

I was glad Jasper was recording this on their video camera, because this whole thing had been absolutely priceless. Peter set Lily's feet on the floor and held her at the waist so Jaden could dance with her. When he was done with that, he threw himself at Mom and Dad, thanking them profusely for the incredible gift.

"You are the best grandparents EVER!" he shouted as he all but floated around the room. "Best Christmas EVER!"

Sunny started laughing at him, so he moved over to where she was swinging and did a little dance for her too. I was afraid he was going to spontaneously combust from the intensity of the joy he was experiencing.

That's my boy.

I smiled at him and pulled Rosie over a little closer so we could cuddle and watch what was transpiring before us.

"Guess he's a little excited, eh?" she said, chuckling. "I can only imagine how little sleep he'll get in the days before we go. And how sweet are your folks for including Peter and Lily? Jaden and Lily are going to run wild if we don't put leashes on them. Hogwarts won't know what hit it."

"I'm just glad that he's having a good day. I worried that his first Christmas without his parents would be hard."

Rosie sighed. "I'm afraid that we're not out of the woods on this one. He'll likely crash and burn over the next few days. Let's soak up the good while we have it to prepare for the bad when it inevitably comes."

Dad and I got up and started clearing up the debris and stuffing the wrapping paper into garbage bags while the girls headed to the kitchen to get to work on dinner. I begged Bella to make dressing for the bird this time so we could have Boxing Day turkey and dressing sandwiches. Of course she caved, because no one can say no to me. It's the dimples. But on a serious note, no one makes it like Bella does. Most people want to cram it in the bird, but not her, she makes it in a separate pan and bakes it with turkey skin on top so it gets crispy. She also uses summer savory instead of sage, and that makes all the difference in the world.

My mouth watered at the thought of my next breakfast, or more likely, my next midnight snack.

Jaden and Lily asked if they could go watch Lily's movie down in the Man Cave, so Peter and I set them up and left them alone, knowing full well the two of them would barely make it past the credits before they fell asleep. Alice donated a portable baby monitor to set up so we could hear them if they woke up and needed something—Lily especially.

It was about an hour later when we hear a horrible wail come from the basement. I recognized it instantly and ran down to find Jaden sobbing uncontrollably while Lily tried to comfort him. She looked up at me fearfully, tears in her eyes, as I reached them.

"Jay saaad," she said quietly.

I sat down and picked him up so I could hold him in my lap. He held onto me with an iron grip as he continued to sob. Lily looked so sad that I reached over and pulled her close so I could hug them both.

"It's okay, Lily, Jaden just had one of his bad dreams," I said, wiping a tear from her cheek before hugging her tighter. "You did a good job, sweetie. You're a good friend."

"It…it…it was awful, Dad," Jaden sobbed into my neck as he held on for dear life. "Daddy came to me in my dream and he yelled at me and said that I was a bad boy, that I was a wicked boy for being happy today."

I rubbed his back in an effort to comfort him. "It was just a dream, buddy. It's not real."

"That's what Mommy said. She said not to listen to Daddy, that he was sick."

"Mommy was right, you should listen to her. Your daddy WAS sick, but he loved you very much, and so did your mommy. I know it's hard; this being your first Christmas without them, but it's okay to be happy, buddy. Mommy wouldn't want you to be sad, would she?"

He nodded. "Mommy loved Christmas. We used to sing a lot of songs while we made cookies. I don't think she'd be upset if I was happy, but D…Daddy scared me, Dad. He looked so scary, so mean." He leaned up and whispered so Lily couldn't hear. "His brains were oozing out of his head like when he shot himself but the brains looked like bright green slime and he kinda walked like a zombie."

I felt him shudder in my arms, so I held him tighter. "You don't have to be afraid, buddy. What does Dr. Scott say about dreams?"

Jaden sighed heavily and recited, almost verbatim, what Dr. Scott has been trying to get him to understand. "Dr. Scott says dreams are sometimes just movies our brains make from the past and just like real movies, sometimes they are scary. The good thing about scary movies is that they aren't real, and like a movie can't hurt me, neither can my dreams." He paused for a second, before speaking again. "But that doesn't mean they aren't scary, Dad."

"I know, buddy, and I have scary dreams too. It's just important to know the difference between what's real and what's a dream."

Lily rubbed his back and began to hum a song as Jaden finally began to calm down. He eventually shifted to give me a hug, before sliding down to cuddle with Lily again.

"Okay, Jay. 'S okay," she cooed as she continued to rub his back. I smiled at her and gave thumbs up, which earned me a huge smile from her.

"I'm going to go upstairs if you two are okay."

Lily nodded at me and Jaden grunted something. Poor kid was almost asleep again. I had to wonder if they had gotten any sleep at all.

I went back upstairs to find a large group of worried grownups and a giggling baby strapped to Alice's chest. Rosie was the first one to approach me. "Is he okay? We heard what he said. I was going to come down, but it sounded like you and Lily had things under control."

"Yeah, he'll be okay. It was just a nightmare, that's all. Lily's handling everything like a pro. Go take a peek; it's the cutest thing."

After everyone took a turn looking at them cuddled up on the couch and let loose the requisite _awwwww_ we got back to work on dinner.

Which was a resounding success, by the way. The turkey was perfect, the desserts were divine, and more importantly, the dressing was incredible…

…and even better the next day when Bella and I gorged ourselves on turkey and dressing sandwiches, much to the disgust of the others. What did we care? The fact that they were all too chicken just meant there was more dressing goodness for us.

Win.

* * *

_**Bella**_

Shakespeare had it right when he said that parting is such sweet sorrow. I woke up on December 31st and cried, scaring the shit out of Edward.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm overwhelmed, I'm excited, I'm a little bit nauseous and I'm kind of nervous about tonight." I snuggled into his side and ran my hands over his bare chest, trying to wipe away the tears that had fallen onto him. "I'm a little sad, too."

"Why are you sad? Do you want to cancel the trip?" he asked nervously. "We can still cancel."

"No, no, I still want to go. I'm excited about seeing the world, I'm just going to miss everyone. You do realize that Sunny will be almost a year old when we get back? Jaden will be almost 9 years old? Lily will likely be getting around on her own? We're going to miss so much while we're gone."

I felt his arms tighten around me as he stretched. "Bella, love, we really don't have to—"

I stopped him from finishing. "Shh, don't finish that. I want to go, I am beyond excited about seeing the world with you; just give me a moment to mourn the things we'll miss and I'll be fine. Besides, we both have Skype on our phones now and that nifty iPhone video app. I'm sure they'll call us for the big milestones. I was just being pathetic, that's all, and, well, I'll just generally miss them."

Fingers ran through my tangled hair as he hummed. "I will too, but frankly, I find it hard to be too upset about having my gorgeous wife to myself for half a year. It almost sounds too good to be true." When he saw that I was reaching to pinch him, he swatted my hand away. "Don't pinch me, woman, I don't want to wake up from this dream."

After stretching and letting out an ungodly groan, I gave him a kiss and got out of bed.

"Where you going?" he whined, grabbing at me.

Leaping away playfully, I gave my bare bottom a sexy little shake as I walked away. "To the bathroom, then to get dressed, then to make breakfast. We have company joining us. Then we have to make sure everything is packed and that the house is ready for Peter and Lily. The living room needs to be adjusted a little bit to fit her chair, and one of you guys needs to install the bathroom aids or at least help Peter with it."

"Man, it's a good thing we're flying first class and at night because man, I'm going to be ready for bed when we board the plane." Edward yawned melodramatically, then winked at me.

After seeing some photos from a colleague's trip around the world, we decided to pay the extra money for First Class tickets for the flight to New Zealand because I was pretty sure that 18 hours flying coach would result in a Bella-pretzel that might take days to unravel. I didn't want to end up spending our first few days of vacation holed up at a hotel. And then there were the other perks, like fancy robes, better food, no kids kicking me in the back, and being able to sprawl out in comfort. Dr. King had okayed the trip, but made me promise, in front of Edward, to get as much rest as possible and not to wear myself out too much. We were all a bit concerned that I would overextend myself and my body or my brain would rebel and I'd end up gimpy or I'd have a seizure. I was okay with taking things slow; I just didn't want to hold Edward back.

Breakfast was almost ready when I heard the front door open and the sound of small feet stomping in the mud room. "Aunt B? Uncle Edward? Sorry I'm late; Dad took forever in the shower this morning. I tried to get him to skip it, but he wouldn't listen."

"I'm in the kitchen, Jaden. Come on in."

After ditching his boots, he came flying into the kitchen, almost knocking me over with the force of his hug. "Hi, kiddo. How's my favourite nephew?"

Big blue eyes looked up at me with a mixture of joy and pain. "I'm happy to see you, but I'm sad that you're leaving."

I pulled out a stool for him so he could sit beside me while I chopped up some fruit. "I feel the same way, sweetie. I'm happy that I'm going to see the world but I'm sad that I have to leave you behind to do it. Promise you won't grow up too much while we're gone, okay?"

Jaden's head bobbed up and down. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises about Sunny. She grows, like, six inches a day."

"Wow!" I exclaimed animatedly. "She'll be, like, ten feet taller than the tallest building by the time I get home! Whatever will we do? She'll be like…"

"…Godzilla! Sunnyzilla!" he hopped off his stool and began stomping around, making growly monster noises. He jutted out his jaw and bared some teeth as he continued to play Godzilla.

"Oh no!" Edward cried out as he entered the room, "what is the creature who is about to eat my beautiful wife?"

Jaden deepened his voice and widened his stance. "I am Sunnyzilla and I am a super huge baby who is going to take over the world and kill bad guys with my toxic drool!"

Well, that was it. I broke out into laughter so hard that my stomach was sore by the time we stopped. "Come on, Sunnyzilla, haul your butt over to the table and we can get started on breakfast. Do you want apple or orange juice?"

"Apple, please."

I continued to putter around the kitchen while Edward set the table and got Jaden settled, listening in on their conversation. I know, eavesdropping is bad, but it was just too cute.

"So, you'll remember to send postcards, right?" Jaden asked quietly.

"Yup."

"And you'll send some for Lily, too?"

"That's the plan."

"Okay, good."

Jaden remained quiet until Edward spoke and there was a total role reversal. It was so hard not to burst out laughing and ruin the moment.

"So, you'll remember to practice your piano, right?"

"Yup."

"And you'll play for Lily, too?"

"That's the plan."

I heard Edward laugh before his voice took on a serious tone. "Okay, good."

When Jaden spoke next, I could barely hear him, but when I did, my heart damn near burst. "You'll take care of Aunt B, right? She's kind of special."

I peeked over at them, not caring if they saw me. Edward picked Jaden up and hugged him tightly. His reply was muffled by the little boy's shoulder, but he said it loud and clear as he looked at me. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to take care of your Aunt B. She's kind of special to me too."

"Don't let her run on the Great Wall of China because she might trip and fall over the edge and the mongrels might get her."

Any offense I took to him referring to my clumsiness was erased by his mispronunciation of Mongolian. Edward's shoulders shook with laughter as he tried not to make Jaden feel bad. "Mongrels, buddy? You mean Mongolians, right?"

"That's what I said, isn't it? Mongoose? Monorail? Mongrel? Monticello?"

"Okay, now you're just being silly." Edward tickled his side for a second, sending poor Jaden into a gale of giggles, before giving him one last squeeze and setting him down on his seat. "I'm going to miss your giggle. You have the best laugh ever, squirt."

"Squirt?"

"Yeah, squirt."

"Why are you calling me squirt?"

I passed Edward two plates as he continued speaking. "I'm trying out new nicknames for you. Do you like squirt?"

Jaden thought about it while he picked up a waffle and put it on his plate. "Yeah, I think I like it. Dad called me that once or twice, I think. I like it when you say it, though."

We eventually made it through breakfast—it always takes a while with Jaden because he likes to talk while eating, or else he starts miming or dancing or even breaking out into song. He really is the light of our lives and it was going to be ridiculously hard to say goodbye to him.

The boys cleaned up after breakfast while I dug out my old "assisted living" supplies, like a lift for the toilet seat, removable bars, a hand rail for the bath tub as well as my old shower seat. I wanted to make sure that Peter and Lily had everything they would need for her while we were gone. I had also gone out and bought bed rails for the spare bedroom, which is where Lily would be sleeping. The thought of her rolling around in bed and falling off scared me, and I knew it was a possibility as I had done it before.

I also set up the baby monitor in her room and left the wireless unit in our room for Peter. Alice had made sure that we all had baby monitors in our homes for when we had Sunny over, instead of Alice having to tote one around with her everywhere she went.

When I was satisfied with the Lily-fied accommodations, I made my way into the music room, where Jaden and Edward were having one last piano lesson. Of course he would be taking lessons at school in both piano and guitar while we were gone, but the boys wanted one last session anyway. I think Jaden was excited to show him what he had learned.

I checked the time and made a couple of quick phone calls to the girls. We were having lunch together at Alice and Jasper's while Edward and the boys spruced up the rest of the house for Peter and Lily. I wanted some last minute Sunny cuddle time and to get in some good girl chat. Six months without them was going to be tough. We had never been separated this long since we met each other.

The afternoon passed quickly—too quickly in some ways. I could never squeeze in enough time with my niece. She was such a delightful little baby…or rather, as Alice was calling her, a delightful little porker.

"I can't keep up with the feedings! I'm telling you now that I'm glad I'm not still breastfeeding all the time because otherwise I'd be tethered to her 24/7. She wants to eat all the time! Even when she sleeps she's smacking her lips like she's looking for food. I just don't get it."

Sunny was a round little girl. Her pudgy arms and legs were so cute, though, that everyone who saw them had to stop and fuss over her. Her chubby cheeks made her look even more cherubic, and it was hard to keep from giving them gentle little pinches. Her disposition matched her name, as she was more often than not smiling and giggling and just beaming. I don't think they could have named her any better than they did. She certainly was a bright ray of sunshine.

Rose was telling us about a sleepover Jaden and Lily had had recently where she had overheard them talking. Jaden had told her they were going to get married some day and she could be Lily Cullen and maybe Peter could change his name to Cullen too, then we'd all be Cullens. Lily had squealed her excitement and said yes.

"Oy, I don't know how we're going to deal with those two when they get older and hormonal," she lamented. "We'll have to put a stop to the sleepovers, that's for sure."

"Oh, come on, there's nothing wrong with a boy and a girl being best friends and having sleepovers," I joked.

Rose's face paled. "Um, I think you and Edward are walking billboards for why it shouldn't happen. I don't want my son knocking up his best friend when she's fifteen."

"It wasn't so bad," I mused, "okay, it wasn't ideal, but still…I wouldn't trade it in for the world."

Alice interjected. "Before we get into a heated debate about teen sex and whatnot, Bella, Rose and I got you a little something for your trip."

Rose reached into her purse and pulled out a flat box. "Don't be mad."

"Oh shit, what have you done now?"

"This is actually from the four of us for you and Edward for your trip. It's going to seem extreme, but know that we got it dirt cheap at the big Boxing Day Sale. We know that space is an issue, and we know that…"

I tore off the wrapping paper and gasped. "An iPad?"

They nodded. "If I may continue…" Rose said, winking, "we know that space is an issue while you're traveling, and we know that you hate typing on your phone because the letters are too small…well, now you can keep a travel blog on the iPad and type to your heart's content without dealing with small letters or a bulky laptop. We've installed some pretty cool apps on there, including a keyboard for Edward when he's itching to play."

I threw my arms around them. "Thank you so much! This is amazing! We had talked about getting one, but thought maybe we'd wait until we got to Japan. But this is amazing. We can start blogging right away!" I brushed away a tear. I knew the iPad was expensive, regardless of the sale, and it meant a lot that they would do this for us.

Alice also wiped away a tear. "This also means that you have no excuse for not contacting us every two or three days. Don't make us worry, Bells."

"I'm going to miss you guys so much," I whimpered as I increased my hold on them. "This is the hardest part of this trip—saying goodbye to you guys for a whole half-year."

"You won't even think about us while you're traipsing along on your journey," Alice teased. "You'll be so, _oh Edward, look at that! Oh, Edward, can we go hump atop the Eiffel Tower?_ Don't think for a second that we don't know what you'll be getting up to."

I slapped her ass playfully before releasing them. "I was thinking more along the lines of doing it in that big Ferris wheel in London."

"See!"

"Ah, but the whole time he's plowing me, I'll be thinking, _man, I wish the girls were here to see this._"

"EWWW!" they screamed, recoiling in horror.

"Hey, you two started it. But seriously, I AM going to miss you guys something awful. I will send e-mails and tweets and texts and we can Skype and all that stuff."

I heard the door open and loud male voices filled the house. I sighed and looked at the girls. "Well, I guess that means the boys are back, and I need to get home and grab my stuff for the airport. I," I paused to look at my girls, my sisters, "I love you both, and I'm going to miss you. Take care of each other, okay? I promise I'll send lots of stuff back for everyone."

"Everything okay in here?" Edward asked, looking at our tear-stained faces.

"Yeah, we're just being a bunch of silly girls," I replied, jumping up to give him a hug. "You need to see what they bought for our trip!" I reached over for the iPad and handed it to him.

"No way! This is amazing guys, and way too expensive, especially after Christmas. We were just going to grab one in Japan or something, but this is awesome. Wait, is that a…" his eyes grew huge as he tapped something on the screen. "No way!"

Before I knew it, he was playing a song on the piano app. "This is so cool!"

Wow, Edward had just reverted to his geeky fourteen year-old self before my eyes. I laughed at his amazement and excitement. When he realized that I wasn't the only one chuckling, he blushed and set down the new toy. "Sorry. I get a little…"

"Overexcited?" Jasper.

"Geekified?" Emmett.

"Silly?" Jaden.

"Ridiculous?" Rosie.

"Horny?" Alice.

Jaden looked at Edward, then back to Alice. "Aunt Alice, he doesn't have horns. Sure, his hair is a mess, but there aren't any horns in there."

We all laughed, but Jaden didn't seem to care. He had finally noticed Sunny, who was on the floor having some tummy time. He got down with her and started talking to her.

I sighed. "I'm going to miss this too."

Edward turned me around to face the door. "Go put your shoes and coat on before you decide you don't want to go away. We need to get our stuff and head to the airport soon, anyway. Mom and Dad said they'd drive us."

"But don't we all get to go? I want to go see the plane too!" Jaden called out from the floor.

"Yes, you guys will meet us there for the official _bon voyages_," I replied. "There isn't room for everyone in Nana and Poppa's car. So, I guess we'll see you guys there, but no later than six. We have to go through security and all that hassle by six thirty."

Sure enough, at six, everyone was there. Jaden and Lily were holding up signs that said _bon voyage_ and _we'll miss you_, and it was the cutest thing ever. I pulled out my camera and snapped a few photos. They would be a great way to start off our blog and any subsequent scrapbooking we did of our trip when we got back.

The goodbyes were tearful and really over-the-top in some cases. Emmett made a big production of it, which incited Jaden to cry harder, which prompted Lily to cry, which prompted me to cry. We were one big ugly mess of saps, I tell you.

After hugging everyone one last time, we made our way with our minimal luggage toward the security gate to get all the packing/unpacking and question asking done and over with. We could hear them cheering for us, and I had to laugh at the other passengers staring at us because of our big send off. It kind of made me feel like a celebrity or something. Where were the paparazzi when you need them?

By the time we made it to our seats on the plane, I was spent. Again, I was thankful for the first class seats because a sixteen hour, non-stop flight from Seattle to Christchurch would likely do me in. Edward buckled up and settled in beside me before taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

"We're really doing it, love. We're really seeing the world together. We're going to ring in the New Year god knows how many miles above the ocean and wake up on the other side of the world."

I looked at him and couldn't help the tears. Of course he misconstrued them as being ones of sadness, when in reality he couldn't have been any more wrong. I was so full of love and joy at that moment that it had to go somewhere. "I love you so much, Edward. I never would have thought in a million years that we would be doing this. Hell, for so long I never thought I'd see you again, let alone want to be with you again. Now I don't want to go a day without you, and taking this trip, seeing the world, and getting time to ourselves, was the best idea you ever had."

He leaned in for a kiss. "Actually, I think the first best idea I ever had was falling in love with you. The second was walking into that porn store looking for bachelor party supplies.

"I love you, Bella."

"Always."

* * *

**Awww...**

**Thoughts?**

**I'll save my sappy A/N for the epilogue. **

**See you soon.**


	46. Epilogue

**Here it is, folks, the end...except for a futuretake or two. But more on that at the bottom.**

**Please read this with an open mind and open heart. That's all I ask.**

* * *

_**Jaden**_

"I think I see them!"

Everyone crowded around me as I looked through the glass wall near airport security. It felt like forever since we'd seen Aunt B and Uncle Edward, and I was so excited that I thought I was going to jump out of my skin.

"Ch…ch…chill, Jay," Lily whispered from beside me. "B…b…b…ounce…ing l…l…like Tig…ig…ger w…won't help."

Dad laughed from behind us and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'd pick you up and put you on my shoulders, but you're too big for that now, aren't you?"

I looked at Lily and rolled my eyes, making her giggle. I love making her laugh; she has the best laugh I've ever heard.

"There they are!" Nana shouted out in a very un-Nana-like way. "I see them! Oh my god, here they come!"

Everyone took off at a run toward the door where they would be coming out. Peter picked Lily up and threw her under his arm like she was a football so they could keep up with the rest of us. Geez, even Sunny was on a mad dash toward the door.

"Jaden, you got the sign?" Mom asked. I pulled it out of my backpack and started unrolling it so everyone could hold it. It was really long, like at least ten feet long. As soon as everyone was ready, we all held it up in the air and cheered. Aunt B blushed a bit, but smiled wide and Uncle Edward, well, I don't think I have ever seen him look so happy, except on the day of their wedding.

Everyone took a deep breath and on the count of three we all shouted: "WELCOME HOME, VIOLET!"

* * *

_**Bella**_

Violet sat on Edward's lap staring out the window of the plane. Her curiosity was certainly getting the best of her, and I could understand why. It must be incredibly confusing for a three year old to leave her home country and move around the world to another with her new parents, not that she didn't already know us.

I was so excited for everyone to meet her. I knew they would fall in love with her the second they saw her, just the way Edward and I had when we first met her just over two years ago on our trip around the world. Edward and I were exploring in China when we came across an orphanage. A Canadian aid worker was out in the yard watching over the kids and struck up a conversation with us. The more we spoke with her, the more heartbroken I was as I heard the stories of how these beautiful little souls ended up there. This particular orphanage housed fifty girls between the age of ten days and ten years and as much as I knew it was going to kill me, I asked if we could come in and meet some of the kids.

Violet was only three months old and fussing in her crib when we passed by. Heather, the aid worker, asked if I wanted to feed her and I knew I was a goner. I felt better when I realized that Edward had also fallen in love with her. We stayed and cuddled her for hours, and asked if we could come back the following day to see her and the other kids. Heather thought it was a great idea and relished the thought of having some extra help. As soon as we left, we went to the nearest town and bought food, treats, toys, books and clothes, as well as picking up a small electronic keyboard for Edward so he could play some music for the kids.

The next morning, Heather and her co-workers openly wept when they saw what we had brought. It was the least we could do. They had been so warm and welcoming to us and these children had so little that we couldn't pass them by and not do anything. I cuddled Violet and the other babies while Edward was swarmed by smitten little girls who begged him to play music and sing for them. They loved him even more when he pulled out some treats. Some of those little girls had never had such concentrated amounts of sugar in their lives and went absolutely berserk.

We only had a week in the area and it killed me to leave. I couldn't leave Violet behind. Edward and I discussed it one night and spoke with Heather the following day about adoption. We spoke openly and candidly about our situation and she feared that my health issues would preclude me from being approved as an adoptive parent—until we discussed finances. Heather hinted that some officials would likely turn a blind eye to someone in my condition if the price was right. And so began our almost three year quest to bring home our sweet little Violet.

I cried when I had to say goodbye to her that first time, but Edward and I returned three more times before this last one. We had been staying near the orphanage for the past four months until the paperwork was approved. In that time we volunteered at the orphanage, helping with building projects which our family had helped fund, caring for the kids, and entertaining them.

As soon as our family had heard about Violet and the orphanage and seen the photos and videos we sent, they all wanted to help, so it became a family project to raise funds for them. We _adopted_ the orphanage for lack of a better word. Emmett spoke to his school and they decided to sponsor them as well, holding fundraisers every year to help purchase necessary things like blankets, clothes, new beds, books. The biggest thing was when Carlisle and Esme started up a foundation to help them, throwing a fundraiser back home that raised enough money to sponsor a doctor to go over and help out. Thanks to the Violet Foundation, they would undertake the fundraising to keep sending a doctor over and he or she would help out at Violet's orphanage as well as a couple of others in the area on a yearly (or bi-yearly) basis.

Today everyone would be meeting the little girl who inspired it all, who stole our hearts, and who would definitely leave an indelible mark in their lives.

She touched Edward's cheek. "Papa? Home?"

We had been teaching her some English but vowed to provide her with someone who could help keep her speaking her native dialect so that when we would return to volunteer and visit, she would be able to speak to her friends and retain some of her heritage and culture.

"We're almost there, xin ai, are you ready to meet the rest of the family?" Edward said, nuzzling her head of shiny black hair as he referred to her by his Chinese nickname for her, which translates to _beloved_.

"Yes, Papa."

"Bella, love, can you pass over the iPad?"

I handed it over to him and watched as he showed her photos of various family members and listened as she named them in her sweet voice and somewhat broken English. She laughed when she got to Emmett. "Uncle Em, funny."

"Yes, sweetie, he is. Sometimes he's loud too," I warned, as I pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "Don't be scared of him. He would never hurt you."

She nodded, then smiled when she got to a photo of Jaden, Sunny and Lily. "Cousins."

"Yes, cousins. Good! You're doing so great, Violet. You're going to love them so much and they love you already."

The pilot announced that we would be landing soon, so Edward buckled Violet in with him and we each held her hand. "Don't be scared, xin ai, the plane is going to go down and land on the ground now and sometimes it makes your ears hurt a bit. If it does, try yawning real big like this," Edward said before putting on a demonstration for her. We had discussed giving her gum, but since she had never seen gum before and had no idea what to do with it, we worried that she would swallow it. Hopefully the landing would be smooth and painless for her and the yawning would help.

She fussed a little bit on the way down, but was overcome with excitement the moment the wheels touched down. "Home now, Mama?"

I cupped her cheek in my hand and smiled, calling her my pet name for her, which means _flower_. "Yes, bei, we are."

She smiled; her dark brown eyes alight with joy. "We go now, Mama?"

"Soon. We have to wait for the flight attendants to say that it's okay. I'll grab our bags so we're ready to go. Papa, do you want to carry Violet off the plane?"

"No, Mama, walk."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. She may not have a mastery of the English language, but she understood the concept of manners. "What do you say, bei?"

"Please, Mama?"

"That's better. How about if Papa carries you until we get off the plane and then you can walk if you like?"

I received a smile from her and knew that the compromise was one she could accept. Violet is very independent and responds well to clear instructions; although she'll make it known she isn't happy about it. Really, though, her behaviour was extremely good, especially for a child who grew up in the kind of environment she had.

The flight attendant gave us the okay to get off before the other passengers, and we thanked her for her attentive service during the sixteen hour flight. Violet gave her a kiss on the cheek.

It felt like it was taking forever for us to get through all the legal crap with customs and immigration, what with Violet's adoption, but an hour later I was beyond thrilled to see our family waiting for us outside the security area.

Violet tugged on Edward's sleeve. "Up, Papa? Please?"

He picked her up and she clung to him, hiding her face in his neck. I watched as he rubbed her back in an attempt to get her to relax a bit. "Remember, xin ai, they are loud, but they aren't scary. They are all just very excited to finally meet you."

"Still scared, Papa," she whimpered.

"It's okay, xin ai. Mama and Papa won't leave your side. You're safe."

When the doors opened, all we could hear was "WELCOME HOME, VIOLET!" and a cacophony of familiar voices all speaking and sobbing at the same time.

Jaden ran over and threw himself at us before Esme could. I thought she was going to plough through him to get to her new granddaughter. There were many times when Esme wanted to go to China to meet her, but we discouraged it because it was disruptive to the orphanage, and we had a feeling she'd either end up moving in to fix things or she'd adopt them all.

"Oh," she sobbed as she gently touched Violet's back. "You are beautiful, little Violet."

Very slowly, she moved her head so she could see Esme and I watched her flash a smile. "Nana!" she cried.

Tears poured down Esme's face as she cupped Violet's cheek in her hand. "Yes, sweetheart, I'm Nana." Very slowly, she held out her arms, and Violet practically dove into them.

"Nana!"

Violet hugged Esme tightly and okay, I have to admit that I lost it right about then. Or maybe it was when Violet leaned back a bit and touched Esme's cheek and smiled. "Hi, Nana."

Mom sobbed as she held her little granddaughter tightly. "Hi to you too, sweetheart. Welcome home."

Carlisle stepped up and I watched as Violet regarded him momentarily before looking at us. "Poppy?"

I nodded and she shot out of Esme's arms and into Carlisle's like a flash. She hugged him and did the same thing she did to Esme. She touched his face and looked him in the eyes before greeting him. "Hi, Poppy."

Watching this tiny child so at ease with these people she had never met, so far away from her comfort zone made me realize just how much this was all meant to be. Edward and I had agonized over trying to naturally conceive, and although we weren't giving up yet, I knew that Violet was ours. We were meant to happen upon that orphanage and we were most certainly destined to bring her home with us.

It was a battle to get the Chinese government to do it, but I'd had a feeling deep down that they would. Everyone could see that she was ours.

"Down, please?" she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. Carlisle set her down and she very timidly walked over and stood at Emmett's feet. Violet was very small for her age and she looked almost like an infant compared to her uncle. She tugged on his pants so he would come down closer to her. When he did, she poked his dimple and grinned. "Emmy."

Well, that undid Emmett faster than a leftover dressing and turkey sandwich. He went down on his knees and opened his arms for her. She lunged at him and giggled. "You're big."

"You're tiny," he choked out in a half laugh, half sob.

And that's how it went for the next few minutes, our daughter-god, it feels so great to say that-made her way around the group identifying everyone and giving hugs. When she got to Sunny, who presented her with a My Little Pony, they giggled and held hands. Violet looked at us and said, "Sister Sunny."

It would be great for Sunny and Violet to have each other. They weren't far off in age, by months, really, and I could see right away that they would be the best of friends and hopefully Sunny would be able to help acclimatize Violet to this new world.

Edward cleared his throat and wiped his eyes before suggesting that maybe we should all head home and stop clogging up the airport. Emmett had suggested that we have a party at his house, but really, we just wanted to go home with Violet and have some alone time, so instead we agreed to having a barbecue at their home the following day. It would give the kids a chance to get to know one another and play together.

That first night at home with Violet was difficult. She was thrown off by the time change and the strange environment, so we allowed her to sleep with us. Several times in the night she cried out, whimpered, then settled down. She would likely need a nice long nap before we headed to Emmett's.

Edward and I were making breakfast while Violet explored her new surroundings, naming things as she encountered them, looking for help if she couldn't find the English word.

"That's a television, xin ai, it shows moving pictures. I'll show you in a bit, okay?" He turned to me after speaking to our little girl. "So, did you notice something strange about Rose and Alice yesterday?"

I nodded as I put a piece of kiwi in my mouth. "Yeah, they were…they looked like…oh shit…Edward, they're pregnant. I know it! I need to call—"

"That was my first thought too, since they were being a little standoffish, but let's not call them, let's let them reveal their _surprise_."

"Surprise? I like surprise. Where surprise?" Violet piped up from beside Edward. He picked her up and placed her on the breakfast bar.

"The surprise, xin ai, is that you get to have waffles for the first time today."

The kitchen door opened and I heard someone say, "Waffles? They're my favourite!"

We turned to see Jaden and Lily coming in the door. "Hope you don't mind, Aunt B, but we really missed you guys and wanted to come hang out."

I looked at my now almost twelve year old nephew and grinned. "You guys just wanted waffles, didn't you?"

They both shrugged entirely too nonchalantly. "Maybe?"

"Get in here. How did you guys get here anyway? Did one of your dads drop you off?"

Lily grinned. "We b…b…bi…biked."

I high fived her. "Good job, guys! Man, every time we go away, we come back and you're doing something else!"

"It has three wheels, it's kind of like a grown up trike," Jaden added. "It's pretty cool, and it's always balanced so if her legs twitch, she won't fall over. And, even if she did, Peter was following behind us in the car. He thinks we didn't see him, but we're not that dumb."

"Well, come on in, and take a seat. We were just about to give Violet her first waffle."

Breakfast was lively and entertaining to say the least. The kids dragged Edward to the music room while I cleaned up the dishes and put away the food. I could hear them in there begging Edward to play for them, and although he tried to argue and get Jaden to play first, Violet won out when I heard her work that irresistible charm of hers.

* * *

_**Edward**_

Watching my family showering our new addition with so much unconditional love was almost enough to make my proverbial heart explode. Even more endearing was how she took to them almost immediately. She was definitely a perfect fit for our rag-tag family, and she was staking her claim on their hearts from the very beginning.

I'm not just saying this because she's my daughter, but she entranced us from the first time we saw her in that crib three years ago. Her eyes drew us in, and that dimpled smile melted our hearts. I knew from the very moment that we laid eyes on her that she was ours-it was as if the world disappeared and there were only the three of us. I didn't feel the same connection with any of the other babies or children there, it was always and only her.

We visited her as much as our jobs would allow; my weeks were spent working at the rehab doing music therapy, and doing some teaching at Jaden's school where I had a few steady piano students who were eager to learn and very passionate about it. Bella was actually teaching writing workshops between the public appearances she was obligated to do for her book, or rather, as she refers to it, _our_ book. When Bella's thesis manuscript was edited, it was picked up almost immediately by several agents who were left to duke it out. She went with her heart and not the dollar figures and ended up with an amazing agent and friend in Victoria. The book was a huge success; Bella did the TV circuit, bookstores, and made special appearances at grieving parents groups. Most of the money that came from the books went to non-profit groups promoting help for grieving parents and to the Violet Foundation.

Bella was currently working on a book based on the blog we kept of our travels and of course, of Violet.

"Papa, please play," my sweet little xin ai begged me, batting those long dark eyelashes at me.

"What do you want me to play, xin ai?"

"Uke! Play uke!"

Jaden looked at me quizzically. "Uke?"

"Ukulele, squirt. Can you grab it for me, please?"

Violet had fallen in love with the ukulele when I had brought some to the orphanage. She loved to hear me play it, and even cooler; she loved to strum it herself. I had no doubt whatsoever that she would be playing songs in no time.

"Ukulele it is, sweetie. Any requests?"

"Tulips!" my daughter shouted out. Lily agreed with her, so with two against one, I cleared my throat dramatically and put on my best Tiny Tim voice and sang until they laughed so hard they were practically sobbing.

What can I say? I do a mean Tiny Tim.

Jaden nudged me over on the piano bench. "This is what I've been working on while you were away."

After he cracked his knuckles once, rested his fingers on the keys and took a deep breath, he began playing and I nearly fell off my perch on the bench I was so blown away.

"Did you compose this?" I asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment. Even Violet was silent on my lap when he finished, and keeping her quiet is not an easy task.

He nodded and blushed.

"Wow, that was…breathtaking. You have got so much talent, squirt. You're so young and yet you can channel so much emotion into the music. I've got goose bumps," I said, holding up my arm to show him.

Bella walked in and hugged him. "That was truly incredible, kiddo. I was so moved by it—it really touched something in me."

He blushed again. "You're not just saying that because I'm your nephew and you have to, right?"

I shook my head. "You should know me better than that, squirt. I've told you before when something wasn't working, right? Well, everything works in that—well, there are a couple of spots that I might make some suggestions for later, but really, for composing that on your own, at your age, just…wow."

"Th…th…tha's whattt I…I…I…t…to…told him," Lily said. "H…h…he w…w…w..won't lllllisten to m…e."

"That's because you're my g…best friend. You'd never say anything to hurt my feelings."

"Did you play it for Mr. Thompson yet?" I asked, curious as to whether my colleague had said anything or not.

"Yeah, he said the same thing that you did."

I laughed. "He's a good man with great taste."

Violet leaned over and tugged on Jaden's shirt sleeve. "Play more?"

And he did. We did. Until lunch. Then we introduced Violet to the TV and peanut butter and jam sandwiches, which she loved. I was lying on the couch with Violet watching Yo Gabba Gabba when she finally fell asleep on me. Bella and the kids left to go to the store to pick up some stuff for the barbecue, leaving us alone in the peace and quiet so Violet would hopefully nap at least for an hour. She's generally a well-behaved kid, but when she's overtired, watch out.

I didn't realize how tired I was myself until I woke up and saw the time. It was already four o'clock. We had slept for almost four hours. The house was still silent, save for the usual hum of the appliances, and I wondered where Bella was.

Violet stirred a little and let out a confused cry. "Mama?"

"Shh, xin ai, Papa is here. Everything is okay."

"Mama?" she asked again, pushing up off my chest a little to wipe the sleep from her eyes. "Where Mama?"

"Hm, I'm not sure. Should we go see?"

"No, go pee!" she cried out suddenly. I hopped up as quickly as I could and ran her to the bathroom. We were doing really well on the potty training—she was quick to pick up on things, which was a blessing.

When she was done, I peeked into our bedroom and saw Bella asleep. "Shh, xin ai, there's Mama. She's sleeping. We should leave her be, let her sleep."

"No, I go sleep with Mama. Please?" There she went again with the begging. We're doomed!

I picked her up and carried her over to Bella and deposited her on the bed beside her. I grabbed the afghan from the end of the bed and covered them both up. "Sh, don't wake Mama, okay? I'll just be out in the living room."

The girls slept for another half hour before getting up and rushing around to get ready for dinner. I packed up the supplies for supper and did some prep work for my famous grilled potato salad, as well as gathering the presents we had brought back for everyone.

Emmett's house was quiet when we first arrived, but that didn't mean a thing. The second we walked out onto the deck, everyone was surrounding us and fawning over Violet, who was still a little sleepy and feeling a little shy. She hid behind my leg, clutching my pants in her little hands. I picked her up and asked if she wanted to go play with her cousins. She nodded against my shoulder, so I carried her down to the jungle gym, where Jasper was supervising as Sunny, Jaden and Lily were playing. I wish I could have captured the look on her face when she saw the enormous playground equipment. They didn't have anything like this at her orphanage and I could tell that she was both intrigued and somewhat fearful of it.

Sunny peeked her head out through one of the tower windows and squealed. "Vi'let!"

"Sunny! Papa, down please."

I set her down on the ground and watched as she allowed Jasper to help her climb up the cargo net to join her _sister_ Sunny. We stood back and watched the kids as they played happily.

"God, she's adorable, Edward. I can see why you'd fall in love with her so quickly." Jasper chuckled before speaking again, "Sunny couldn't stop talking about her, she kept saying _sister_, so we corrected her and got her to say Violet, only, as you can clearly see, it's coming out a little mangled."

"It's cute, and frankly, if they want to be close like sisters, I'm all for it. The adoption counsellors told us that she would feel alienated and excluded and confused and to expect her not to make any connections right away." I pointed at the two of them giggling as they looked out the window. "I think there's a pretty strong connection there already. It'll be good for her to have someone like Sunny to help her get used to America and the strange things we have. I introduced her to TV today. She was absolutely fascinated by it, kept walking up to it and looking behind it."

I laughed as I listened to Violet trying to explain something to Sunny in her native tongue. Sunny looked at her like she was nuts, but then took her hand and pulled her down the slide and over to the swings. Jaden and Lily were hiding out in one of the other towers and we hadn't seen much of them since we arrived.

"What do you suppose those two are up to in there?" I asked, jerking my head in their direction.

"You don't want to know, Edward," Jasper replied, shaking his head and chuckling.

"Are they? No, they're only 12!" I stopped, looked up at the tower, then back at Jasper. "When did this happen?"

"About a month ago. They were up in Jaden's room and were being awfully quiet and I swear my sister nearly had a coronary when she walked in on them kissing. Jaden looked at her, smiled, and said that he was going to marry Lily, but in the meantime they were boyfriend and girlfriend."

I was laughing so hard I doubled over. "Oh god, this is priceless! Those two remind me an awful lot of me and Bella. How did they handle it?"

"That's the thing, Emmett and Rose have such…um…unconventional sexual pasts that they couldn't sit and lecture them not to do it, so they got together with Peter and came up with a pretty cool PowerPoint Presentation about the birds, bees, and babies. I might actually borrow it when Sunny starts acting all hormonal."

"What about the sleepovers?"

"They still have them, but they have laid out ground rules and there has to be a baby monitor in the room at all times. They tried separating them, but they still ended up in the same bed the next morning. I think it's all pretty innocent, especially with these two, but they didn't want to take any chances after Emmett overheard what some of the teachers at the middle school had encountered on bus duty. Blow jobs at the back of the bus, Edward. Why couldn't girls do that when were in middle school?" Jasper joked, shaking his head.

I laughed at him, because I was actually getting blow jobs when I was fourteen…only two years older than Jaden.

Oh good lord. It seemed so right back then, but looking at my nephew now, I knew there was no way in the world that he was emotionally on track to deal with intimacy with his best friend. I felt like a hypocrite.

"Feeling hypocritical, there Edward?" he teased, elbowing me in the ribs.

All I could do was nod.

"Papa?" Violet called out from the swing set. I walked over and found her sitting on the swing, her little legs dangling above the ground as she tried to make the swing go. "Help?"

I stood behind her and gave her a gentle push while Jasper moved behind Sunny. The girls laughed and squeaked and squealed as they rocked back and forth. The laughter got louder when Jaden and Sunny finally emerged and stood in front of the girls, making faces at them as they neared.

"DINNER!" Emmett bellowed from the house. "COME AND GET YER GRUB ON!"

Everyone rushed toward the house; Jasper and I put our girls up on our shoulders and pretended to race, while Jaden offered to piggy back Lily. I wasn't sure if he could do it or not, since he was still a small guy, but Lily was also very light and lean, and we cheered them on as they waddled ahead of us to win the race, then collapsed onto the grass.

"See, I told you I could do it," Jaden huffed at Lily, who was laughing her ass off as she rolled around on the ground.

"Come wash up, everyone, your supper's going to get cold!" Rosie called down.

Never in a million years did I ever see Rosie as an overly maternal figure, but Jaden had really changed that. She was now one of the most maternal people I had ever met, including my mother. Over the past three years she had really blossomed into both a wonderful mother, and a great friend. She had confided in me last year that she felt ready to have a baby of her own, and I encouraged it. I saw how she was with Sunny and I couldn't wait to see her with her own child.

When everyone was washed up and ready, we all sat down at the long table Emmett had set up. Dad was in his spot at the head, and he stood, smiling at us all. "God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, doesn't He? Here we all sit in celebration of our newest family member, who joins us not from blood, but from love. I speak for everyone here, Edward and Bella, and we are all so very thrilled and thankful for your gift of this child to our lives, and sweet little Violet Cullen, we welcome you to our family.

"Hi, Poppy," she said, waving to him. "Food?"

"In a second, sweetheart, Poppy is just going to say grace. Everyone hold hands, please."

We all did so and bowed our heads. Violet recognized what we were doing and joined in, saying grace in Chinese, the way they had been taught at the orphanage. Everyone listened to her and said Amen when she finished.

Dad absolutely beamed at his granddaughter. "Guess Violet took care of grace. Dig in, everyone!"

Food moved around the table at record speeds. Poor Violet was completely overwhelmed by the selection, having spent most of her life eating rice and whatever meat or vegetable they could afford. We wanted to start her off easy so it wouldn't upset her stomach, and we had actually started feeding her differently about a month before. This would be her first time eating barbecued hamburger, which she seemed to like okay, especially after it had been drowned in ketchup, but she REALLY liked the piece of hot dog I gave her. Really, though, how many kids don't like hot dogs…especially after being drowned in ketchup?

She tried pasta salad, but really didn't like it; she liked the potato salad, but mostly the green beans that she pulled out. Then there was the corn, which she loved, but I think that was mostly because of the cob and the big mess she made. Instead of drowning it in ketchup, though, she enjoyed covering it in butter, then sucking it off.

Mom, Jaden and Lily had made cupcakes for the occasion, and let me tell you, I think I heard that sweet little girl who was sitting on my lap, growl at me when I tried to take the paper off the bottom of it. I think my little girl was officially corrupted.

Jaden brought out his keyboard and sang for us. All three of the younger girls got up and danced while he did so. Bella had the video camera out and was recording the whole thing. It was too cute to miss.

After a bit, Rosie and Alice cleared their throats, looked at each other, then smiled at everyone. Rosie spoke first. "Um, hi. Alice and I have some news we want to share with everyone. We…"

"You're lesbians and you're leaving us to run away and open a hot lesbian tattoo shop in California!" Emmett called out. Obviously Rosie hadn't told him and he was too oblivious to realize that he was going to be a father again.

Mom tsked tsked him, gesturing toward the four kids staring at everyone confused.

"Emmett, quit ruining my moment," Rosie said, sniffling a little. "We wanted this moment to be special and you had to open your big mouth. Fine, you want it like that, then here it is, big guy; I'm pregnant. So's Alice. How do you like them apples?"

There was a moment's silence before Bella cracked up laughing. "Best pregnancy announcement ever!" She jumped up and hugged her two best friends. "I so knew it when I saw you at the airport! You were reluctant to hug me too tightly! How far along are you?"

Alice was absolutely beaming. "I'm three months, Rose is two months. We get to be big old fat preggos together!"

"I'm so happy for you guys!"

Hearing Bella say the words wasn't enough to convince me, but when I saw her eyes and her smile, I knew that there was no resentment whatsoever toward her two best friends getting pregnant without her. We had Violet now, and I think the part of Bella that wanted to have another baby so urgently was now filled with the love she has for our chosen daughter.

We may never conceive another one on our own, but we would always have room to love many more.

Mom was crying and Dad was holding her, rubbing her back gently. She had always wanted a house full of grandkids, and it looked like she was going to get her wish.

Jaden approached Rosie and touched her stomach gently. "Really? You're giving me a brother or a sister?"

She nodded. "Yeah, kiddo, we are. Are you excited?"

"Hell yeah!" he shouted, shocking us all. Mom turned to shoot an accusatory glance at Emmett, who shrugged.

"He probably learned it at school. At least he's happy about it."

My brother's nonchalance never ceased to amaze me. Here he is just learning that he's going to be a father and he…oh wait…

"Wait, did you say that you are BOTH knocked up?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, Emmett, what part of my little speech did you miss?" Rosie put her hands on her hips. "What part of _I'm pregnant, so's Alice_ confused you most? The _I'm_ or the _pregnant_?"

"I'm going to have a baby?" I watched as his eyes grew as it dawned on him. "Holy shit, I'm going to have a baby?"

"No, dumb ass," she retorted, "_I_ am going to have a baby. ME. You won't be pushing it out of your man bits; it'll be my woman bits being stretched and torn. Do I need to pull out the PowerPoint Presentation again?"

At this, Jaden and Lily both screamed out a very horrified and frantic NO!

I looked at Bella and smiled. "Feels good to be home again, doesn't it?"

* * *

_**Jasper**_

When Alice went through the labour process with Sunny, it happened so fast that she wasn't able to _enjoy_ labour the way she had wanted to. I'm not sure what's enjoyable about being in labour—it looks painful and, if I may be blunt, horrifying. But Alice said that it's a beautiful experience and she felt gypped last time.

Well, she wasn't gypped this time. Poor Alice went through over twenty four hours of hard labour before River Liam Hale finally made an appearance. He was a big boy, topping the scales at 10lbs 10oz and measuring 23 inches in length. He required some oxygen when he first came out, but other than that, he was in great shape. Poor Alice, however, wasn't. She required about a dozen stitches and it took her quite a while to heal, which hampered her usual energetic tendencies. Having a VERY pregnant Rosie to keep her quiet was helpful, but she felt obliged to do things for Rosie since she looked like she was carrying a linebacker under her maternity clothes.

Rosie's labour wasn't as intense as Alice's, but it lasted long enough for Rosie to make two nurses and her husband cry with her words and vice-like grip. Audrey Esme Cullen was born five weeks after River but she was much smaller weighing in at 6lbs 11 oz, and measuring a healthy 20 inches. Unfortunately, poor Rosie went through some post partum depression, and it was good that she and Alice had each other.

It might be strange to say, but the babies were best friends already. Audrey loved to cuddle with River and we often found her sucking on his nose or his hand, and he was so laid back that he just took it. That's my little butterball; very chill, Zen, and comforting to his more high-strung cousin.

Again it was hard to go back to school after Audrey came, but I had a job to do, and kids to teach. Teaching had become my second love, and every year it seemed to get better and better. I enjoyed the challenge of engaging my often hyperactive students. I think living with Alice had me well-trained for dealing with that.

As I sat in my classroom, doing some end-of-year paperwork, I had to smile. A whole two months with my family was just around the corner and I couldn't wait.

"J...Jasper?"

I looked over at the door. "Hey, Lily! You ready to go home?"

"Y...yup. Mmmmy lock...locker is cleannn. Readdddy fffforrr summer."

"I'll just be a second. Can you help me by picking up the textbooks on the desk?"

"Sure."

I watched as she slowly walked over to start picking up the books. Lily never ceased to amaze me. Watching her go from being comatose to the functioning eleven year old that was making her way around the room was like watching a miracle happen. Sure, she walked a little slower on her own and her speech wasn't perfect, but she was smart. Oh boy, was she intelligent. She had missed the second and third grade, but made up for it in one year then went on to ace grade four last year and I was pretty confident that her report card this year would show similar high scores.

She had an assistant with her for half a day to help with her handwriting, as well as a laptop. We discovered that she typed much faster than she was able to write, so provisions were made for her to use a netbook during class.

She was devastated that Jaden wasn't at the same school as she was, but happy to have me and Emmett close by. Some of the kids teased her something awful about how she walked and talked, but she handled it like a trooper. For the most part, though, the kids in her class had really come to like her, and she was excelling both academically and socially.

"D...done!"

"Good job, kiddo. Ready to get out of here and start summer vacation? Should we pop over to Rosie and Emmett's to see if anyone is swimming? I know I could use a dip right about now."

"Sweet!"

We found Alice and Rosie floating in the pool with the babies while Bella splashed around with Sunny and Violet. I told Lily that I'd call Peter and tell him she was staying for a swim, and sent her off to the pool house to change. Before I called Peter, I looked down to watch as Alice stared up at the blue sky, our son held tightly across her chest. It was hard not to laugh when he splashed her and I watched mirthfully as she made a funny face and blew bubbles at him, making him smile. Our little Buddha boy was too precious for words, and once again, I found myself in awe of how much love I had for him and for Sunny.

"What's up down there?" I called out to them.

"Just enjoying ourselves, having a moment with the babies, soaking up the love, what's up with you?"

"If you didn't notice, Lily is in the pool house changing. Can you keep an eye on her? I'm going to go inside and try to get in touch with Peter."

Alice smiled, waving River's hand at me. "Sure can! Jaden should be home soon."

"Look, Mommy! Look, Daddy!" Sunny shouted as she jumped off the small diving board, splashing her poor Aunt Bella. Sunny bobbed up and down in her lifejacket, giggling at Bella, who was making a big deal of sputtering and wiping her eyes. "Sorry, Aunt B!"

"Don't let it happen again," Bella chastised playfully, "or I'll send the shark after you."

Sunny squealed. "No, not the shark!"

Violet ran to the edge of the diving board, putting her hands over her head in a triangle. "I'm a shark!" she shouted as she jumped in.

I laughed at the three of them playing and couldn't help but smile as I watched Bella with her daughter. Violet had opened up something in Bella that made her shine like a star. I thought Edward really made her come alive after their reconciliation, but Violet...Violet made her glow. We all hoped that someday Bella would have the joy of carrying another baby of her own, but knew that she and Edward had made peace with the possibility that it wouldn't happen the second they met the little black haired girl who stole their hearts.

Like the rest of us, they were a family, and more importantly, they were happier than I had ever seen them, and that was good because they really and truly deserved it.

* * *

_**Emmett**_

Chaos reigned around me. Forget fearing the four horsemen of the apocalypse, I had the four adult women of my life to rain down fire and brimstone on my ass.

Bella: "Emmett! Jaden, Sunny and Violet are getting all dirty! Grab them!"

Rosie: "Emmett! Audrey just spit up on River, go grab a wet nap!"

Alice: "Emmett, that's not the right colour tie!"

Mom: "Emmett, why is the photographer late? I thought you told her to—"

"ENOUGH!" I growled. "One thing at a time, women. I'll deal with the kids and, Mom, she texted and she's running a little behind, she's stuck in traffic. Alice, I put on the tie that was left out for me. Why the hell aren't you yelling at the others? I'm not the only father figure here. Sheesh." I moved out to the yard where I found Jaden pushing Sunny and Violet on the swings. None of them looked the least bit dirty, so I left them alone. I walked back up to the upper deck, where the playpen was situated under a shaded canopy. I had to chuckle when I saw the kids: my baby girl Audrey was sucking on her cousin's nose. I reached down and picked her up, trying to avoid getting puke on myself.

"Hi, kitten, did you make a mess on cousin River?"

As a response, she scrunched up her face and farted in my hand. Nope, she shit in my hand. Nothing says "I love you, Daddy" like a good old poop in the palm. I sighed and blew a raspberry at her. "You certainly are my baby girl, aren't you?" I looked down at River and shook my head. "Jasper! Get your ass over here and clean up your son!"

He wasn't long in coming to join me. We carried the babies up to the nursery to try to make them photo-ready. As we changed, powdered, and cooed at our kids, I shook my head and laughed. "Dude, did you ever think when we met that we would be doing tandem diaper duty?"

"No way. Edward, yes, but you? Sorry, brother, but no." He was quiet for a second as he reached for a diaper. "I'm not upset about this, though. I like being a dad, even a dad with a poopy little boy," he spoke with his _baby_ voice for that last bit. It was too funny watching him with his kids; he was a totally different guy.

"Edward and Bells got off lucky with Violet, since she was beyond the poopy diaper stage. These guys will keep us in diapers for how much longer?"

Jasper laughed. "Well, seeing as they are only six months old, we still have another two or more years to go, unless Alice can train him with that "commode communication" method she's been reading about. I'm not real keen on it, but if it will cut down on diapers then I'm all for it."

"Is that that thing where you watch the kid for signs that it's going to crap its pants? I think I saw something on Oprah or The View or something a few years ago about it."

"Yeah, something like that. Frankly, I don't mind changing his diapers, but it would be great to save some money on buying them, though. Holy crap, these things are expensive." He tickled his son's belly before re-dressing him. "I think we spend more in diapers than we do in groceries every week."

"Amen, brother," I said, holding out a fist to bump, but then pulled it back awkwardly when I realized we had both been dealing with poop. "Um, yeah, so..."

"EMMETT!"

"WHAT, ROSIE?" I yelled down to her.

"PHOTOGRAPHER IS HERE. HURRY UP WITH THE KIDS!"

Jasper and I set the kids in Audrey's crib while we washed up, then grabbed them and took off before the wives came after us. We nearly tripped on Lily and Peter, who were just arriving.

"Wow, Lily, you look really pretty today," I said, giving her a quick hug. "Purple looks great on you. And you too, Peter. That's a lovely purple tie," I teased.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Lilypad picked it out for me so we'd match. I can't say no to my girl."

Lily put her hands on her hips. "I th...think he llllllooks gggoood."

Peter leaned down a little to place a kiss atop her head. "I think I look pretty damn good too. I'm lucky to have Lily to help me coordinate."

"We'd better all get outside before Rosie has a conniption fit. She's been stressing out about this for weeks."

Once everyone was finally in the backyard, the photographer began barking out commands. Unlike when I do it, she actually got people to listen. We took a group photo including all honorary Cullens like Peter and Lily, Liam and Millie and Donald. After a few shots with everyone, we were broken down into families, then couples, then kids and babies, then goofy adults, then goofy kids and adults. All in all, it was pretty fun. I would have to remember to hire this girl again because she was amazing. She showed us some of the shots before she left and I had to say, she made our motley crew look amazing.

We invited her to stay for dinner, but she had a wedding to get to, so we bid her a fond adieu after making plans to meet up the following week to see all of the photos and pick out the ones we wanted to purchase.

It was a mad dash to change out of our dress clothes into our more comfy ones, including bathing suits. It was actually warm and sunny outside and the kids were begging to go for a swim, so Edward, Jasper, Peter and I donned our suits and took the kids in, including the babies, who loved floating along and splashing. We had a blast and I think by the end of it, most of the pool water was on the deck.

Dinner was prepared by the lady-folk for a change, giving us men a chance to relax and play with the kids. The girls hula hooped and we boys threw the football while the babies napped in the shade. It was really the perfect afternoon.

If you would have asked me five years ago if this was the life I envisioned for myself, I would have laughed in your face. I was a self-professed manwhore who never once thought that I could have a wife, two kids and a house in the 'burbs. I could have never forseen this happening to me. Although I wanted kids, it never seemed possible, and after losing Emma, I really wasn't sure I wanted to invest so much love into someone or something that could die and break me again.

Then I met Rosie, who helped me realize that I could have a good life, I could be loved and I could love in return without being afraid.

Along comes Jaden who taught me about putting my own needs to the side and showed me that love hurts, but it also never dies.

Then Audrey comes along. My sweet little girl, who I know is going to give me a run for my money when she's older, totally turned my world upside down, but in a good way that a new baby usually does.

As I sit and look at the people who surround me, who have given me so much over the years, I have to wonder how I got so lucky.

Oh yeah, I know…it's because I'm Captain Emmett Awesome Cullen, and I rock.

* * *

**Oh, Emmett, I'll miss you most of all.**

**I hope you aren't disappointed in the direction things went.**

**This has been a long journey that began October 31, 2009 and is essentially ending today, July 10, 2011. Almost half a million words later, here we are...the end...sort of. I have one futuretake which had been donated for one of the many fandom fundraisers that has us meeting up with Jaden when he's 18. I will be posting it on August 1st or shortly thereafter. I have an idea or two of a couple other possible outtakes/futuretakes, and I might be open to suggestions at some point.**

**This story has been a real labour of love. The pain the characters have felt has been my own by times and I have cried along with you all. I have become attached to these guys and I'm not letting this story go without feeling an incredible amount of sadness at saying goodbye to them. That's the great thing about stories, though, you can always come back and visit your friends again and again, and I hope you do.**

**As you have all been following this story, you have all been privvy to the incredibly chaotic life I've been living over the past year, what with the fire, the floods, the drug dealer neighbours, my other "issues"...and it almost seems fitting that I'm putting this story to bed just as I'm about to move from this hell hole into what will hopefully be a safer, happier, and much more relaxed environment. Hopefully it will inspire me to write something else.**

**As for that, I need a wee break, so I will likely only be posting the odd O/S here and there for the next while.**

**I can't end this without thanking the two most important people in my fanfic (and often RL) life, and that's Katmom and Minnakoda. These two women, who live on opposite ends of the world, have held me together, have inspired me, have supported me, have helped steer me in the right direction, have listened to my whining, and have, more importantly, been my friends when I needed someone the most. My life is richer for knowing the two of you, and Encore/ATB would not have existed without you. **

**To the readers...scratch that, to my FRIENDS; you have all taken so many wild rides with me, have depleted your tissue stocks because of me, and been there with me through all the chaos...I thank you for your support and your love and your friendship, and I hope that you'll stick around for what's to come.**

**I won't be hitting the complete button until the futuretakes are finished.**


	47. FuturetakeMilestones

_**Milestones**_

**Author: Leelan Oleander**

**Rating: M**

**Betas: Katmom & Minnakoda**

**Banner designed by Alice Sunshine Sweetcheeks (SweetPoeticJustice)**

**Song used: **_**Just the Way You Are**_** by Bruno Mars**

**Synopsis:**** This is a futuretake from **_**Around the Bend**_**. It's Prom Night for our favourite little guy, who isn't so little anymore. Let's follow him as he goes through a rite of passage...or two... **

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its intellectual properties and I am ever so thankful that she allows us to play with her creation. The story behind this O/S, **_**Encore**_**, and **_**Around the Bend**_** belongs to me. I am, in no way making a profit from this, and no disrespect is intended.**_

**This is a futuretake I wrote for the Tsunami fundraiser. We're picking up with Jaden ten years later, and he'll get you caught up on some of the stuff that's been going on. I hope you enjoy this. I think you'll all agree that Jaden's grown into a fine young man.**

* * *

**Jaden**

I've been through some rough things in life; really rough things, but at this moment, nothing seemed more insurmountable than the decision before me.

"Wrist or pinned, Mom?"

Mom moved over to stand beside me, putting her arm around my shoulder as we looked over the selection of corsages. "Hm, well, kiddo, I think that a wrist corsage might be nice, especially with the cut of her dress. You don't want it to take away from the neckline."

I rolled my eyes. All this dress talk really made no sense to me, and I knew nothing about necklines or cuts or whatever. I just wanted to buy something nice for my girl to wear to the prom. I had hoped Mom would pick something out, but she was making this torturous for me, forcing me to decide. Digging into my pocket, I produced the, what did Mom and Aunt B call it? Fabric swatch? Yeah, that's it. I pulled out the _fabric swatch_ that I had been given so I wouldn't buy something that would clash with the purple and held it up to a few different flowers.

"Mom, would it be wrong if I went with white? None of these other colours really seem to go very well with the purple, and I was told by Aunt Alice that it would be tacky to buy purple flowers and...shit, this is hard, Ma. Help me? Please?"

I turned and blasted her with my best pout, batting my eyelashes at her.

"Good lord, Jaden, you've been spending too much time with Sunny lately! Between the two of you, I don't know who's worse when it comes to the puppy dog eyes and pouty mouth." She swatted at me gently, laughing.

"Better a pouty mouth than a potty mouth," I recited to her. Nana Esme had said that once and I thought it was pretty cool. What wasn't cool was that I had just let loose with a long string of f-bombs after stubbing my toe on the island in the kitchen at Nana's.

"I think white would be perfect, sweetie. Let's pick one out and head over to the tux shop to pick up your cummerbund, and this time we're not leaving until it's the right colour. I can't believe they sent over the wrong one."

After we managed to get the corsage and pick up the right cummerbund, we headed home where I was attacked from all sides by various family members. Nana Esme and Poppa Carlisle had driven down from Forks for all of the festivities and of course there were all the aunts, uncles and nieces and my nephew. Before I had a chance to even register what the hell was going on, Dad came jogging around the corner, piggybacking my little sister, Audrey.

If I wasn't overwhelmed enough by picking out the corsage, I was completely and utterly thrown by the chaos in my front yard. I could feel a panic attack coming on, and quickly excused myself from the melee and ran out to the backyard to calm down. I walked out into the woods and sat on my rock by the stream and did some deep breathing.

"Jaden?"

Dad was calling my name quietly as he entered my sanctuary. "You alright, buddy?"

"Yeah...I..."

I felt a big hand on my shoulder and relaxed a little. "A bit crazy, eh?"

I nodded.

"Lean on your old pops, buddy, take a few minutes and relax."

He sat beside me in his spot on the rock—I say his spot because his butt had pretty much worn a groove into the stone from all the time we'd spent there. I leaned over and allowed him to put his arm around my shoulders and rock us a bit.

Eighteen year old boys don't normally allow moments like this with their fathers to happen, but I'm not a normal eighteen year old boy, and there are times when I need him more than I care to admit. Although I had grown out of frequent panic attacks like I used to have in the years that followed the murder-suicide of my biological parents, I was still somewhat easily rattled by a crowd, or as Dr. Scott calls it, demophobic, especially when the crowd I was in was loud and there were too many people speaking all at once.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Thanks."

He sighed happily as he rested his head on mine. "Any time. I need to suck up these moments as much as I possibly can; I mean, you're heading off to college in the fall...you won't be here as much."

I had to laugh. "Dad, I'm going to UDub. I'm going to be living at home, at least for the first year, so you're still going to see me every day. Don't get all mushy on me, old man...it's bad enough that the grandmas are getting weepy. Speaking of grandmas, when are Millie and Liam getting here? Is Grandpa Donald coming?"

Dad ruffled my hair before pulling me into a headlock. "Millie and Liam are arriving tomorrow and your Grandpa Donald should be here any minute."

"I don't understand why everyone is here tonight—it's just prom. The big celebration is on Saturday for graduation."

"Just prom? Don't let your Aunt Alice hear that. Son," he changed his voice to sound more authoritarian, "prom is a very important milestone in every teenager's life..."

Oh good lord, am I about to get _the talk_ again?

"I know we've discussed how babies are made, and you remember the PowerPoint presentation, but prom is...well..."

I shook my head. "Daaaad, please don't do this to me. I've already had one panic attack today, I don't know if I can handle a second one."

"Look," he paused to raise his hands in mock surrender, "I'm not saying don't do it, because that would make me a grade A hypocrite, but be careful, okay? She's a good girl, a special girl, and you don't want to hurt her, do you? Remember what Bella told you about a girl's first time?"

My cheeks began burning as I thought back to _that_ discussion. "Yes, Dad, I do. I remember what each and every member of this wonderfully twisted and sexually liberated family has told me about the subject, and I'm happy to report that I have condoms; LOTS of condoms, since pretty much everyone has been giving them to me in case..." I said, sighing, "...but I don't think anything's going to happen, Dad. I'll be lucky to get through tonight without having a nervous breakdown—I don't need the added stress of sex."

"You can't fault your old man for wanting you to be safe. So, are you feeling better? Ready to face the crowd?"

I cringed. "Can you call up and tell them to give me some space? Maybe let me ease my way back in? I don't want to have to take any gritty kitty today; I want to be coherent for my prom."

Dad laughed at the nickname I still used for the Ativan I sometimes took for my panic attacks. It was gritty and when I was little, I used to complain that it felt like kitty litter under my tongue. "Sounds good, kiddo."

He pulled out his phone and made a quick call to Mom while I skipped some stones into the creek. "Alright, she's briefed the troops and warned them to give you some space. All systems are go."

"I hate that I'm like this, Dad," I said, sighing heavily. "I wish I could be normal around everyone."

Dad pulled me into a hug, squeezing the shit out of me. "You _are_ normal, Jaden—it just so happens that _your_ normal is different from everyone else's."

I shrugged and pulled away. "Not normal enough. What happens when I go to university, Dad? What if I freak out there?"

"Whoa, where is this coming from? Jaden, what's going on?"

"I'm just nervous, Dad. It's no big deal. It's just the initial fear of the unknown. I'll be fine once I get sorted out; I just need to find the balls to do it. This is a lot to take in and..."

"And what, buddy?" Dad asked softly.

"I...I wish my birth mom was here to see me graduating." I wiped at the tears that were trying to get out.

"Ah, hell, kiddo, I'm sorry. I knew this was going to be hard, but...why didn't you say anything before now? Have you been talking to Dr. Scott about it?"

I nodded. "Dr. Scott and I have talked about it a lot, but it doesn't make it any easier. Then I felt guilty because you guys have been my parents for the past 11 years, and really, my birth mom was only my mom for 7 years, but..." I sighed again, wiping my face again, "...I miss her sometimes."

Dad hugged me again. "You don't have to feel guilty about feeling this way. It's natural, normal, and hell, if you hadn't said anything, I might have thought you were a little weird. She was an important person in your life, Jaden, and we would never feel slighted if you miss her.

"Try to remember that she's always with you. She'll be cheering from heaven when you go up to give your big speech, and she'll likely be bawling her eyes out with everyone else when you get your diploma. You've come so far, kiddo. I'm so fucking proud of you."

I laughed at Dad dropping the f-bomb. "Don't let grandma Esme hear you say that."

He grinned at me as he ruffled my hair again. "Fuck it."

~0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

Dad finished straightening my bowtie as I stared at myself in the mirror. Dayum, I'm pretty hot when I want to be.

"You clean up good, kiddo," he said, smiling at my reflection. "You know all the women downstairs are going to try to leave lipstick marks on your cheeks."

I brushed invisible dirt off my shoulder. "Hey, what can I say? When you look this good, it's unavoidable."

He started laughing, then I started, and the next thing I knew, we were both howling with laughter, holding each other up.

I sobered up quickly when I heard the doorbell go off. "She's here," I whispered nervously. "I wish I could have just gone to pick her up in the limo without all this fanfare. I wish Mom and the aunts wouldn't have railroaded my night."

Dad turned me around so I was facing him. "I'm going to impart some wisdom to you, son. If you want to get far in life, you need to realize early on that women run things, we are but their puppets. Besides, I think she was looking forward to having some girl time with them beforehand to help her with her makeup or something."

I sighed and hugged him. "I'll keep that in mind. I guess we should go downstairs."

I was halfway down the stairs when I heard screaming. "Jaden! Don't look!"

"What the hell?"

Aunt Alice ran to the bottom of the stairs. "You can't see her just yet. Let us finish. Go out to the deck and don't look anywhere but straight ahead, got it?"

"Fine, fine," I grumbled.

"Oh, and kiddo, you look AMAZING! You clean up good." She winked at me and dashed off.

Dad patted my back. "Take deep breaths. It'll be over soon."

The uncles and grandpas were out on the deck. I ran over to Grandpa Donald. "You made it!"

He hugged me and kissed my cheek. "I wouldn't miss your prom and graduation for the world, Jaden. I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks. It means a lot that you're here."

Grandpa pulled back and held my face in his hands. His eyes were wet and he looked like he might break down at any given moment. "I'm just so..."

I put my hands on his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "It's okay, Grandpa."

Dad walked over and handed me a beer. I looked at it, then looked at him. "What the...?"

"Don't you want a beer on prom night?" he grinned evilly at me.

I handed it back to him. "Not really. That's all I need to add to the possibility of an anxiety attack; puking."

"That's my boy," he said, cracking the can and downing it. "You're more responsible than your old man."

A quiet clearing of a throat in the corner prompted me to turn around. "Oh shit, Peter! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Peter stood up and moved over to give me a hug. "Holy shit, squirt, you clean up good."

"Man, I must be such a scumball most of the time if everyone keeps saying that," I mumbled as I greeted him.

He chuckled before letting me go. "Not a scumball, but you have been known to have lazy days every now and then."

"Hey, I'm a dude, dudes have sloppy, slobbish days. Just be happy they aren't slobbery days."

Peter patted my back before leaning in to whisper to me. "Good answer on the beer, squirt. You make me proud."

I grabbed a Pepsi and sat down on a deck chair and listened as the amazing men in my life sat back and talked about their own proms. We laughed our asses off at Dad's recollection of his prom, but for some reason, I have a feeling there was more to his story after the prom than he's letting on. Frankly, I don't need to hear about my old man getting it on with someone. Ew.

Things got quiet when it came to Uncle Edward. "I...I didn't go to my prom. I was...I was in Alaska...it took place about a month after the accident and..."

Dad got up and moved beside Uncle Edward and patted his back before whispering something to him. Uncle E nodded and smiled a little before he looked over at me.

"Jaden, I'm going to live vicariously through you tonight. Your Aunt B and I didn't get to go to our prom, so we're expecting you to have enough fun for all of us."

I pulled at my collar jokingly. "No pressure, eh?"

"Nope, none at all. Oh, and we're also chaperoning the prom. Emmett talked to your principal and explained the situation and he was more than happy to have us join in. I hope you don't mind, I mean, we should have asked you first. We don't want to cramp your style."

It was hard not to smile. Uncle E and Aunt B are two of my favourite people in the world, and having them at prom wasn't a hardship for me at all. It would be awesome having them there, and the fact that they finally get to have the prom they couldn't have when they were graduating made me ridiculously happy for them.

"Pfft, what style! I couldn't be happier to know you guys are going to be there. This is awesome! I can't wait to tell..."

All the air left my lungs when I spotted the incredibly beautiful girl walking out onto the deck. "Holy shiiiiiiit," I breathed, "you're...you're...wow."

Lily stepped out further, smiled shyly and turned around. I'm not big on fashion, as I mentioned before, but my girlfriend looked incredible in that long, fitted, strapless purple dress. Her long blonde hair was hanging in ringlets in the front and was pinned up in the back, making her neck look really long and kissable.

_Down boy_! I mentally chastised my dick.

Lily looked at me and blushed. "H...how do I l...look?"

My feet had an agenda of their own and before I could stop myself, I was holding her hand and slowly spinning her around. "You are perfect, Lily."

Tears pooled in her blue eyes as her cheeks blushed an even deeper shade of red. I watched as the colour went from her cheeks to her neck to her chest. My hand moved to cup her cheek and tip her head up so I could look into her beautiful blue eyes. "I am the luckiest guy on the planet, Lil. I love you."

"I...l...l...love you, t...t...oo."

I leaned in for a kiss and didn't care that the grownups were all saying _awwww_ and the kids were all making kissy sounds. My girl was gorgeous and I wanted to be positive that she knew that.

Lily has really come a long way from when I first met her eleven years ago. She was in a coma, unresponsive, and not expected to live, let alone function. It took many years and a lot of hard work, but she's my perfect girl, my best friend, and now, my prom date. Sure she is unsteady on her feet sometimes, and she stutters, but that's my girl, and I wouldn't want her any other way. She once said that we are both perfect because of our flaws. Her so-called flaws were physical, mine were all psychological. She leaned on me when she needed help getting around, and she calmed me down when I was having a panic attack better than any drugs ever could.

We balanced each other out.

Mom fluttered over, pulling us out of our kiss, and arranging us for photographs. We did the typical poses with the family members, did some silly ones with the kids out at the jungle gym, and some more serious couples ones on my rock by the stream where I slipped the corsage onto her wrist.

Lily looked up at me after I put it on her and smiled. "It...it...it's b...b...beautiful, Jaaaaden."

I leaned in for a kiss, then whispered into her ear, "Not as beautiful as you are."

By the time the limo showed up, I figured it would be the ladies who would be the most emotional, but it was Peter, Dad, Grandpa Donald and Poppa Carlisle who were getting all teary eyed. I could understand why Peter was so weepy; his little girl, the one he thought he was going to lose, had beaten the odds and was graduating from high school. I couldn't figure out why the other guys were being all emotional.

Everyone gave us hugs before we joined our friends Gabriel and Samantha in the limo and headed off to the prom.

Gabriel and Sam gushed over Lily's dress.

"Oh, Lily, sweetie, where on earth did you get that dress?" Gabe gushed as he fingered the fabric. "It's _incroyable_!"

Sam slapped him lightly. "Sometimes you're too gay for words, Gabe. Sheesh, how does Sebastien deal with you?"

Gabe grinned cheekily. "That's for me to know, sunshine, and for you to masturbate to at a later date."

Lily groaned. "G...good l...lord, G...Gabe!"

He winked at her and laughed. "You know you love watching us making out, Lilypad."

"Y...y...yeah, b...but y...you don't have to a...a...announce it to ev...every...everyone."

I gasped in mock shock. "Oh my god, my girlfriend is into boy-on-boy loving! Whatever shall I do?"

Sam started laughing at us before she grabbed her camera. "Photo time, guys! I need to get one in before we pick up Sebastien and Jack. I don't want all my prom photos to be of boys kissing."

I looked over at Gabe and cocked an eyebrow at him. He clued in right away, and just as Sam shouted "Cheese!" I leaned over Lily and planted one on Gabe's lips.

Well, that just did it. We were all laughing so hard I thought we might have to make a pit stop so we could pee or change our underpants. The hilarity spiralled out of control as soon as Gabe's French-Canadian boyfriend, Sebastien and his cousin Jack hopped into the limo. Sebastien was always cracking jokes in a French accent and for some reason it just made things funnier.

I had the best friends a guy could want. Because of my emotional issues, I went to a special private school until high school, when I transferred over to the public school. I was afraid that I'd end up only having Lily as a friend, but Gabe and Sam scooped us up during homeroom and the four of us have been thick as thieves ever since. Sebastien and Jack joined us in eleventh grade and they rounded out the group nicely; we were three very happy couples.

Yes, my friends were considered the freaks of the school, but Lily and I decided a long time ago that because of our circumstances that we would let our freak flags fly proudly and not let high school hierarchy dictate who we would be friends with. I also came from a past where I didn't have many friends, so having a couple was a big thing. Besides, it's not about quantity, it's about quality.

The prom was being held at the school, in the gym. The 'in crowd' had fought for it to be at the Four Seasons in their ballroom, but in today's tight economic environment, reason (and a very frugal principal) won out, so we were having a home-grown prom. I wasn't holding out much hope of it being very elaborate, but man, was I wrong!

"Holy sheeeeeet," Sebastien said as he stopped dead in his tracks, causing us all to run into him.

"Oh m…m…my…" Lily started, but Sam finished her sentence, as she quite often did, "god!"

I smiled as I watched Lily and Sam grab onto each other and start jumping up and down in excitement. Those two were made for each other, and I was so glad that Sam was staying and going to UDub with us so Lily wouldn't lose her "sister from another mister."

I had to admit, the gym looked amazing! Clearly the drama department had helped out with the decorating, and I know that Aunt Alice had her hand in this a bit, since she was a consultant on set and costume design at the school. The theme was _Fair Verona_, so everything was decked out like a Shakespeare festival. There were scenes from various plays set up all over the gym, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Midsummer's Night Dream, and I think Julius Caesar.

The lighting in the room was dim, and had an almost…

"It's so romantic," Sam said as she latched onto Jack and snuggled into him.

"It…it…it's per…fect," Lily said, sighing.

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Just like you, babe."

Gabe grabbed my sleeve and started pulling us in. "Come on; let's go get our cheesy photos done before it gets too busy. I want to spend my night on the dance floor getting my groove on and not hobnobbing with the snobby socialites and divas dressed in their shiniest and sluttiest best."

We made our way over to the photographer, who had set up a green screen and a low bridge.

"Alright, who is first?" he barked. Gabe and Sebastien went first and made us laugh with their three poses. The first two were silly, but the third one was really sweet, and you could see how much they loved each other by the way they were each looking into the other's eyes.

Sam and Jack went next, quickly following Gabe and Sebastien's lead and doing two silly poses before striking a sweet one for their parents.

Lily and I went up and did our best Charlie's Angels poses for the first one, I held her in my arms for the second one, and I kissed her in the third.

While the rest of us had been getting our photos done, Gabe and Sebastien were working their magic with the photographer, and because he wasn't busy, he agreed to do a couple of group shots for us, which was awesome.

We were able to choose the backgrounds from a series of pre-made shots for our photos too, thanks to the green screen. I didn't really care about the first two shots, but I wanted the background for the third one to be nice, special even.

As soon as we had made our choices and thanked the photographer, we moved on to the punch table to grab some drinks and to find a place to set up for the night. It was always better to get to an event like this early, set up a base camp, and then party our asses off, because that way if anyone got separated, we could just meet back up at our spot.

Of course Gabe and Sebastien were on the dance floor as soon as they had tossed their jackets on their chairs. Lily, Sam, Jack and I took our seats and watched them dancing while we all talked. I had to say that it was pretty relaxed and not as lame as I thought it might be.

Aunt B and Uncle E came over at one point to say hi. I smiled when I saw them—they looked awesome. Aunt B was wearing a really pretty blue dress and Uncle E was actually wearing a tux! It wasn't like he didn't already have a dozen of them; he wore them when he played with the Seattle Symphony.

"Are you guys having fun at your first prom?" I asked, winking at Uncle E.

"We sure are. Why aren't you guys out dancing?" Aunt B asked as she pulled a chair over to sit beside Lily. "It's prom, you're supposed to dance!"

Lily looked at her and blushed before whispering something to her. Aunt B nodded and grinned. At what, I don't know, and I was almost too afraid to ask. Aunt B gave her a peck on the cheek and said she'd be right back.

This didn't look good.

And it wasn't.

Not five minutes later, the DJ made an announcement. "This is a very special dedication of a classic song for a special guy. This song is going out to Jaden Cullen, now, bust it!"

I put my head in my hands and tried to wish myself into invisibility as the opening notes of Young MC's song _Bust a Move_ came on. Dad had introduced me to this song when I was a kid and everyone knew how much I loved it, but not everyone in the whole school had to know.

"Classic song?" Uncle E moaned. "When did I get so old?"

Lily jumped up and grabbed my hand. "C…c…come on, Jaden! L…let's dance!"

"Only if you promise not to make me do _the dance_. I am not going to make a total jackass out of myself here."

Aunt B grabbed my other hand and they pulled me to my feet. "Come on, kiddo. Edward and I will come out too. Besides, when will you see these people again after graduation? Who cares?"

I thought about it for a minute and decided that as usual, Aunt B was right. When would I see these people again and why the hell should I care if they stare; this is my prom too, and I wanted to remember it as one of the best nights of my life shared with my best friends.

Lily clapped excitedly when she saw me take off my tux jacket and drape it carefully over the back of my chair and stretch my arms a little. I did it mostly to make her smile. Nothing matched the beauty of my girl's smile.

Yes, I'm a big old sap. I think I got that from Uncle Emoward.

Gabe and Sebastien squealed when they spotted us heading to the dance floor and quickly went about clearing some room for what I was about to do.

I started off by doing the running man and the cabbage patch, garnering a lot of gasps, gapes, and giggles from the crowd. I figured I might as well get 'em warmed up before I threw down my heavier moves. Just before I kicked it into high gear, I made a lap of the circle, trying to get everyone hyped up, then threw myself into some pretty wild windmills, worms, and some fancy pop-n-locking. My grand finale was a long headspin ending in a pretty intense turtle spin. The crowd went nuts!

It was a prime example of just how much these people didn't know me. I don't look the part of the B-boy, but I can throw down. Dad and I used to watch all those dance shows when I was little—_So You Think You Can Dance, America's Best Dance Crew_, and yes, even _Dance Your Ass Off_, and when I said I wanted to dance like them, they signed me up for hip hop dance classes. I had natural musical rhythm, so it came to me quite quickly.

After the crowd calmed down and people stopped patting me on the back and telling me how awesome it was, I grabbed Lily and pulled her close for a slow dance.

"Y...you were awe...awesome, Jay."

I kissed her forehead. "Thanks, baby. I'm glad I didn't make an ass of myself."

"Never," she replied, looking up at me. I took the opportunity and kissed her passionately until I heard a throat clearing behind me. I turned us so I could see who it was.

"Excuse me, but can I steal your date away for a minute?" Gabe said, winking at me.

I looked over his shoulder and saw Edward beckoning me. It was time for my big surprise.

"Baby, do you mind if Gabe cuts in?"

She grinned up at me. "Only if h...he p...promises to k...keep his ha...hands off m...my boobs."

Gabe had this strange fascination with Lily's boobs. It didn't bother me that he liked to play with them because I knew it was harmless, and she seemed to get a kick out of it...most times.

"Gabe, you heard the lady. No groping. Got it?"

"Yup. No groping. Now give me your girl and go deal with your uncle. He looks like he's going to piss his pants or something."

I gave Lily a quick peck and promised to be back shortly. I ran over to Uncle E, who ushered me up behind the DJ booth where we made the final preparations and cued the DJ to cut out after the next song.

In the tradition of my uncle's grand gestures, I wanted to do something super special for Lily for prom so she'd remember it fondly and not just as a night of fondling, which I planned on doing later. My big surprise was that I was going to sing for my girl, and it was a song not a lot of the kids at school would likely recognize because it was fairly old, like, nine or ten years old, but it's one I used to sing to Lily when she was frustrated with her therapy.

Uncle Edward handed me my guitar which he had brought with him, while he tried to set up the keyboard without anyone really noticing. As soon as the song playing was over, the DJ announced us and we were on.

Stage fright is not something I experience very often. I've been singing and playing for people since I was seven, thanks to Edward. But I was nervous as I took the stage because I was doing this for Lily and I wanted it to be perfect.

"Hi...um, I'm Jaden Cullen, and I wanted to sing something to my girl, Lily. Babe, I love you."

I looked for her in the crowd and saw that she was smiling and waving at me.

"This is a song I used to sing for her when we were little kids to cheer her up, and I still believe every word of it today. Love you, Lily."

_Oh her eyes, her eyes__  
__Make the stars look like they're not shining__  
__Her hair, her hair__  
__Falls perfectly without her trying_

_She's so beautiful  
__And I tell her every day_

_Yeah I know, I know__  
__When I compliment her__  
__She won't believe me__  
__And it's so, it's so__  
__Sad to think she don't see what I see_

_But every time she asks me 'do I look okay'__  
__I say_

_When I see your face__  
__There's not a thing that I would change__  
__Cause you're amazing__  
__Just the way you are__  
__And when you smile,__  
__The whole world stops and stares for awhile__  
__Cause girl you're amazing__  
__Just the way you are..._

Up to this point, I hadn't really noticed anyone else but my girl, who was standing in front of the stage flanked by our friends and Aunt B, but before I launched into the last two choruses, I saw that everyone was dancing or watching us. Some people even started singing along, and I noticed a couple of couples making out. Hmm...that's kind of...weird.

Uncle E and I finished up the song and nearly got lost in the thunderous applause. I hadn't expected my classmates to respond so favourably. I figured they'd ignore me or heckle my performance, but I vastly underestimated them. Uncle E gave me a hug as I moved to leave the stage and the DJ gave me a fist bump and said something, but I didn't really hear him—I was too busy looking for my girl to pay attention.

Lily threw herself into my arms and squeezed the shit out of me. "I love you," she said, not stuttering. "I f...feel like a p...p...princess."

"You are a princess, baby. I love you so much."

Our moment was disrupted by our friends, who dragged me out for the rest of the seniors to congratulate. When the hubbub died down, we went to get drinks and take a break. The rest of the night passed without incident and we actually had a fantastic time. I was pleasantly surprised that we did, and was also somewhat shocked that so many people at school were actually talking to me.

At the end of the night, after we said bye to Aunt B and Uncle E, who slipped me yet another box of condoms, the six of us made our way to the limo which would take us to the hotel.

Yes, a hotel.

Mom, Dad and Peter both knew that Lily and I were responsible people and that a night in a hotel was part of the prom experience. As a graduation gift, Nana and Poppa had rented the six of us specialty suites at the Alexis. Gabe and Sebastien had the _Seattle Art Museum _suite, which was devoted to works from the Seattle Art Museum. Both of the boys were really into art, in fact, Gabe was planning on studying to become a curator, and Sebastien was an amazing painter. Sam and Jack had the _Pacific Northwest Ballet_ suite, which was decorated with behind-the-scenes photos and mementoes from the local ballet scene. Sam had been studying ballet since she was five and I could tell by the squeals of joy we heard down the hall that she loved their room.

Nana and Poppa really hit the nail on the head when they chose our room. Lily and I had the _Seattle Symphony Suite_, which was filled with photos and memorabilia from the Seattle Symphony. I even spotted Uncle E in a couple of the photos. He had been performing with them off and on for a few years, and his success with the symphony only pushed me harder to continue with my own music. I would be starting in the music program at UDub in the fall and I couldn't be more excited about it.

After getting out of our prom clothes and into something a lot more comfortable, the six of us gathered in our room for pizza and a movie. Sounds boring, doesn't it? Believe it or not, it wasn't, in fact, it was perfect. While our classmates were all out getting drunk and sick and having sloppy, forgettable sex, we were all having fun doing something that we enjoyed. When the movie was over, everyone said goodnight and made plans to do brunch in the morning before we went home. The limo was set to pick us up at ten and we had it until noon, so we were free to go just about anywhere.

Lily and I flopped onto the comfy queen sized bed and sighed.

"I h...had the b...best night," Lily said as she snuggled in closer to me. "Th...thank you."

I wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled the top of her head. "No, thank _you_, baby. You helped make it the most memorable night of my life...well, the happiest most memorable night of my life. I love you."

"Mmm...w...wa...wanna m...ma...make it m...more mem...mem..."

When she got stuck on her word, I kissed her. Sometimes if she was distracted she didn't stutter as much, and hell, I may have just wanted to steal a kiss or two.

"Thanks," she whispered as her hand moved from my chest to the waistband of my sweatpants. "I g...got s...st...stuck."

"So, how did you want to make this night more memorable?" I had a feeling that I knew what she was getting at, but I didn't want to make presumptions.

When her hand went all the way into my pants and wrapped around my now raging hard on, I gasped. Yup, I was right.

While it seemed like the most ridiculously clichéd thing to do, to lose one's virginity on prom night, it wasn't necessarily the first time we had tried. We had been experimenting and fooling around for years, but after a particularly traumatic first attempt when we were sixteen, we decided to wait a little longer. I won't go into the details of what happened, but let's just say that my masculinity took a huge hit and I spent months trying to convince myself that I wasn't a total failure. I went off early, poor Lily took a shot in the eye, and it swelled shut, bringing on the mother of panic attacks for me. When her father got home and saw me nearly catatonic and his daughter with an eye the size of a tennis ball, he asked her what happened so we had to come clean, especially after she needed to go to the hospital to get the ophthalmologist to look at it.

Yeah, you try getting it up and feeling sexy after going through that.

This time it would be different. Lily and I had been working on my stamina, perfecting our oral skills, and becoming more comfortable with one another to keep my panic attacks at bay. I talked to Poppa a bit about it, since he's a doctor and he knows about this stuff. He prepared me pretty good for what could happen when we finally do it, and I was feeling a hell of a lot more confident.

When Lily and I undressed one another, I could feel my nerves starting to get to me. She laid down with me and ran her fingers through my hair, humming, effectively calming me down.

"I love you," she said softly before she nipped at my nipple. "W...we're r...ready. W...we c...c...can do it. Stop th...thinking a...a...and make l...love to me."

"I love you too, Lily. So fucking much. I want to do this right; I want it to be perfect."

"It w...will b...be. It's us."

Those two words ignited my courage, pushed back the nerves, and allowed me to show my girl just how much I loved her with not just my words, but with my body and with my actions.

It was a tight squeeze, and I know she was uncomfortable, but she did her best not to let on that she was experiencing anything but happiness. I tried to go slow, tried to keep her distracted from what I could assume was something not very pleasant, but she urged me on. Before long, she was actively meeting my sometimes erratic thrusts, her noises transitioning from grunts to pants to moans and kitten cries.

Our mouths moved in time with our bodies until I couldn't contain myself any further and exploded, crying out and chanting nonsensical words.

When things started making sense again, I looked down at my girl and smiled. "Thank you, baby. I'm sorry you didn't get off. I promise to make it up to you."

She smiled lazily at me. "It was perfect. I'm okay. I loved every minute of it because it was with you. I love you, Jaden."

My jaw dropped. "You didn't stutter."

Lily blushed and laughed aloud. "Guess you f...fucked the st...stutter out of m...me for a m...minute."

Again I was shocked. "Lily, you said fuck! You never use the f-word. You hate when I use the f-word."

"D...depends on th...the contex...ext."

I laughed at her as I pulled out and rolled over to lie beside her. The condom was starting to gross me out, so I pulled it off, wrapped it in a tissue, and tossed it into the garbage can. I gave her a kiss, pulled the duvet up to cover her and went to the bathroom to get a warm washcloth. Aunt Bella said that sometimes girls are sore and sometimes bleed when they lose their virginity and I didn't want my girl feeling uncomfortable.

Lily was half asleep when I returned. She stirred a little when I crawled into bed with her. "Lil, open your legs for a second."

She looked at me curiously, but grinned when she saw the cloth in my hand. I gave her a kiss just as I put the cloth between her legs and gently wiped her. She sighed happily into my mouth, which made my dick jump and before I knew it, I was hard again. Shit. I didn't want to go for round two because I didn't want to break Lily. I did, however, owe her an orgasm.

It was nearing six in the morning by the time we fell into a sexually satiated sleep. Round two had involved some mouth and light finger action from me, bringing her to a stunning orgasm just as I knew it would. It pays to experiment. She, then, insisted on taking care of my problem, which resulted in me jizzing all over her, which led to round three in the ginormous bathtub.

When I woke to the sound of my cell phone going off, I groaned, stretched, and quickly realized that sex involves a lot of muscles that don't get used much and I was sore as hell. If I was this sore, then poor Lily would likely be in worse shape, and I felt bad.

I grabbed my phone before Lily could wake up. "Hello?"

"Hey, kiddo, what's going on?"

"Dad! We were sleeping. Can we talk later?" I grumbled.

"Oh yeah, we'll be talking later. I just wanted to check in and make sure you guys were doing okay. Don't forget that the limo is picking you up at ten and will be bringing you guys home by noon."

I looked at the clock. It was almost nine. "Gotcha, Dad. We're all going for brunch before we come home. I hope that's okay."

He laughed. "If that's the worst thing you guys did for prom, then you must not have had a very good night."

Lily stirred a little beside me and mumbled something about licking an ice cream cone and I groaned. I couldn't handle being hard again and...

"Hey, kiddo, you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry Dad, I thought Lily was waking up. We had a fantastic night. Prom was awesome."

"And?" his voice was heavily laced with anticipation.

"And what? We danced, I sang, we came back and ordered pizza and watched a movie."

"And? Did you do it? Did you guys seal the deal?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a much louder groan. "DAD! You didn't just ask me that! Look, I don't want to wake up Lily. We'll talk later."

He sighed heavily. "I at least hope you guys were safe."

"Yes, Dad, we were safe. I had the box of condoms you slipped into my bag, the box that Uncle E gave me at the prom, and the box I found in the bathroom."

"So you used them?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, Dad."

I had to pull the phone away from my ear when he started whooping. "WOO HOO! ROSIE! MOM! DAD! OUR BOY FINALLY POPPED HIS CHERRY!"

If it was possible to die from embarrassment, I think I would have done so at that moment.

"Dad, this conversation has taken a terrible turn for the morbidly embarrassing. I'm going to go now. I'll see you when I get home, and please, for the love of all things holy, don't tell Peter. I'm sure he doesn't want to know that I defiled his baby girl."

"Gotcha, but I really don't think he'll mind. See you soon, kiddo. Love you!"

"Love you too, Dad."

I love my dad. I really do, but his more open approach to parenting has provided me with some pretty embarrassing moments over the years. Having your father as one of your best friends comes in handy by times, but you have to draw the line somewhere, especially when it comes to your sex life, or non-existent one.

Lily stirred beside me and opened her eyes. "Hi."

I love Lily's morning voice. It's all raspy and sexy and stuff. I leaned down to kiss her, and she quickly pulled me down on top of her.

Thus began round four.

We barely made it down to the limo by ten, but then it seemed we weren't the only ones struggling to get their shit together. Gabe was wiping the sleep from his eyes, while Sebastien was trying to fix his hair in the lobby mirror when we arrived. Sam and Jack came running out of the elevator just as we were about to call up for them.

"Sorry, sorry, we got..." Jack said, panting as he finished putting on his shoe.

I held up a hand to stop him. "No details necessary, my friend. Let's go get our brunch on, I'm starving."

Brunch was hilarious. Everyone was beyond exhausted and coherency wasn't exactly a prominent feature in any of the conversations we were having. Poor Lily was stuttering so bad that she resorted to writing things out on napkins.

Oh yeah, we were a hurting bunch.

Dad had a lot of fun torturing Lily and I when we got back to the house at noon. I just wanted to go to bed, but oh no, I had to sit up and regale them with tales of the prom. Lily had fallen asleep with her head in my lap during the rehashing of our evening, and I was really struggling to keep my eyes open. I must have totally passed out mid-conversation because the next thing I knew, Peter was trying to wake up Lily and it was getting darker outside.

"What time is it?" I asked, stretching.

"It's four. I left work early to come pick up Lily when Emmett called to say that she was wiped out. I take it you guys had fun?" he said, smiling at me.

"Da...ddy?" Lily mumbled, confused. "Wh...wh..."

"Shh, sweetpea, I'm just here to take you home. Did you have fun last night?" He brushed her blonde hair away from her face and I saw the smile on her face.

"Yeah. It...it...it was m...magical. Jaaa...Jaden sang m...my song in front of ev...ev...everyone."

Peter looked at me again. "I take it your surprise was well-received?"

I nodded and smiled. "Mission accomplished."

Poor Peter's eyes started to fill up. "Thanks, Jaden."

"What for?"

"For making my princess feel like a princess."

"No thanks are needed, Peter. I love her. I wanted everyone to know just how much. I'm a sap like that." I chuckled a little, and felt Lily's arms snake around my waist.

"Love you t...too, Jay."

"Alright, princess, let's get you home and in your own bed. Tomorrow is a big day and the two of you need your sleep."

"Okay, Daddy."

I got up with them and held Lily's hand as we made our way to the door. Peter went out to talk to Emmett and Poppa for a minute, giving us a chance to say goodbye.

"I love you, Lily. Always. Thank you for last night," I whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek.

"Ditto, Jay."

We took a moment to enjoy a lingering kiss before she went out the door with her father.

I didn't want to deal with the Great Cullen Inquisition, so I made my way toward the back door.

"Hold up, Jaden!" Dad called out. "Wait!"

"Dad, I need to do something before you grill me, okay?" I grabbed a flower from the arrangement on the island in the kitchen and headed out the door onto the deck.

"Where are you...?" he faltered when I held up the flower, then nodded. "I'll talk to you later, kiddo."

"Thanks, Dad."

I walked down from the top deck to the lower deck, around the pool to the gate leading to the back yard. My little sister Audrey and my cousins Violet, Sunny and River were all playing on the jungle gym while Aunt Alice supervised.

"Hey, kiddo, how was prom?" Alice asked as she ruffled my hair and gave me a hug.

"It was good. I'm exhausted as hell, but it was worth it."

The kids all spotted me and screamed out my name. I made a point to go over and give each one of them a hug before I excused myself to finish what I had started.

Alice gave me another hug when she spotted the flower. "I'll leave you to your business. If you need me, you know where I am."

"Thanks, Aunt Ali."

I continued on my journey toward the woods. When I got to my rock, I turned left and headed down a path until I came to the bend in the river. Very carefully, I slipped off my shoes and waded around the bend until I reached my destination. It was a small clearing in the woods filled with wildflowers and birds, and more importantly, the ashes of my biological parents.

"Hi Mommy, hi Daddy," I said aloud as I moved to sit with my back against a big tree next to where we had scattered their ashes.

Deciding what to do with them was one of the hardest things I've had to do. Their ashes sat at the house in an undisclosed location until I turned twelve and decided what I needed to do. After talking to Dr. Scott and my parents about my decision, we all agreed that it was the best thing to do.

Dad and I had found this place when were out exploring when I was quite a bit younger and my instant reaction was that my mommy would have loved it. The flowers were beautiful, and it was quiet there...only the sound of the river and the birds and the wind in the trees were ever heard. When I finally realized that I needed to let go of my past so I could move forward, I knew that spreading their ashes here would be the best thing, it was symbolic and cathartic.

Even after what daddy had done to us all, I couldn't hate him. I came to understand that he was a sick man who needed help, and I couldn't hate that. Most of my memories of him were happy ones, so I decided that rather than keep him and Mommy apart, I would scatter their ashes together in a beautiful and peaceful place.

It was just Dad and Mom who came with me the day that I did it. Aunt B and Uncle E looked after my new baby sister, Audrey, back at the house so we'd have no distractions. I sang a couple of Mommy's favourite songs and forgave my father out loud before I let the wind take them away. I cried for a while and was thankful that Mom and Dad let me grieve and get it out of my system. I just let them hold me and whisper how much they love me until the tears stopped and I was ready to move on.

Some days I come out here to talk to them, to feel close to them, and to enjoy the silence. Lily is the only other person I've brought out here, but someday I want to bring my sister Audrey out here to tell her about my first family. She deserves to know, but not for a while, she's still much too young to hear about it. I would never want to burden another child with the beginning of my tragic story. Thankfully for me, happily ever afters happen, and I found mine with Emmett and Rosalie Cullen.

"Mommy, Daddy, I just got back from prom. We had a lot of fun. I sang for Lily and everyone loved it. I didn't really care about them; I was doing it for her alone.

"Um, I kind of lost my virginity last night too. It went better than expected, and I didn't think it was possible to love Lily any more than I do, but...well, I do! I feel an even stronger connection to her now. I...well, I'm going to marry her. She doesn't know that yet, but as soon as we get settled in school and whatnot, I'm going to propose and I'm going to marry my best friend."

I rubbed the back of my neck and swallowed loudly around the lump in my throat. "Graduation is tomorrow and Mommy, I wish you could be here, I wish you could see me getting my diploma and hear me making my speech. I worked so hard to get to this point and it would have been amazing if you would have lived to see it...but then again, I wouldn't have the life that I have without losing you.

"That sounds awful, I know, but even though I miss you, I am happy with my life with the Cullens, and I can't thank you enough for sending them to me. I know it had to be you who did it."

I wiped at the tears on my cheeks. "I love you, guys. I...I have to go."

I made my way back; through the river, back up the path, and into my big backyard. I smiled when I saw what was waiting for me when I came around the bend-my family; my big, crazy, extended family in all of its wonderful, perfectly flawed glory, all standing by the jungle gym waiting for me.

When I watched my father kill my mother, beat me senseless and take his own life, I never, in a million years, ever thought things would be good again.

Boy, was I wrong.

* * *

**What are you thinking? I'm dying to know. Did Jaden turn out the way you thought he would? What do you think of his prom night? Are you happy that he and Lily are together? Am I driving you nuts with my questions?**

**I'm putting a call out for suggestions...is there an outtake or a futuretake you'd like to see from this story? I'll likely pick one or two and see what happens.**

**As always, thanks so much for reading this story and loving it so much.**

**And if you're so inclined, I was featured on the Southern Fanfiction Review last week for Tantalizing Tuesdays. I wrote an exclusive one-shot that is quite different than what I'm used to writing. Please go on over and check it out. www dot southernfanfictionreview dot com**


	48. ZOMBIES! a futuretake

**Zombies**

**A futuretake from **_**Around the Bend**_

Author Penname: Leelan Oleander

**Rating:** M (although really, it's a very low-grade M)

**Summary:** This is a reader-requested futuretake from my story _Around the Bend_.

Edward and Bella are babysitting for the weekend while A/J and Em/Ro are out of town for a funeral. They have their hands full with Emmett and Rosie's daughter Audrey, who is 7, Alice and Jasper's two kids, Sunny (10) and River (7), and their own daughter, Violet, aged 10 (who they adopted at the age of three from a Chinese orphanage.) This is a glimpse into the first night and a chance to get caught up with the gang.

**AH-AU, Canon pairings**

**Beta'd by the wonderful Katmom and Minnakoda**

* * *

_**Bella**_

"Are you sure about this, Bella? Edward? Having all of them together can be a real handful. Jaden and Lily have offered to come over and help if you need them," Rose asked, chewing on her thumbnail. "I know they all love you to death and respect you, but..."

"Enough, Rosie," I scolded as I moved to lean on one of the bar stools. "It's not like they're three! They're all well-behaved kids, and holy hell, woman; it's not as if we've never looked after them before."

"Yeah, but it's for a whole weekend and you're seven months pregnant. Do you really think it's wise—"

"She's fine. We're fine! Chill, Rosie!" Ah, Edward to the rescue. "Now go tear Emmett away from the kids and get the hell out of here. We've got everything under control and if we need you, we have at least a dozen numbers where you can be contacted. Now go before you miss your flight!"

Rosie exhaled loudly, shouted for Emmett and the kids, and grabbed her carry-on. "Emmett, say bye to the kids, we have to go."

Emmett picked up Audrey and nuzzled her neck. "Bye, baby girl. Daddy loves you. Behave for your aunt and uncle while we're gone."

"Daaaaaad," she lamented, pushing his face away. "I'm not a baby! I'm almost eight!"

He looked at us and sighed heavily. "They grow up so fast." Turning his attention back to daughter, he put on his serious face. "Okay, then, Audrey-who-is-almost-eight, I want you to behave for your Aunt B and Uncle Eddie while we're gone. We'll be back on Monday, okay? You can call us if you want, but keep in mind that we're going to a funeral, so our phones will be turned off most of Sunday. Just text us or leave us a message, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy, I know. Please give Grampa Donald a big hug for me when you see him, okay? Tell him I miss him and he should come visit soon."

Emmett smiled warmly at her. "I will, Princess. Now give me a hug and a kiss for the road before you go give sloppy seconds to your mom."

"Hey, now! I heard that!" Rosie objected.

Violet moved over to my side and rubbed my belly. "How's my baby brother doing today?"

"He's dancing around like a fool. Can you feel it?" I asked her, watching her beautiful brown eyes light up as she acknowledged the movement under her hand. I ran my hand over her silky straight black hair as she moved her head so she could whisper to him before River interrupted her.

"Auntie B, I want to feel too."

I took his dirty hands and placed them on my belly where I knew he would feel something, and sure enough, his giggles rang out like sweet music. "I feel him. He's funny."

"What's he doing?" Edward asked as he came up behind us. "Is he tap dancing?"

River laughed even harder, shaking his head so hard his long mop of sandy blonde hair bounced and shook, dislodging a twig and a leaf. Edward bent over to pick them up and laughed. "Were you guys playing in the trees again?"

"Yeah, we're building a fort so we can fight the werewoofs and bampires that live in the woods. We need to have a super strong fort for that," the little blonde boy said excitedly, without looking up from my bump. It was hard to hide the chuckle at his mispronunciation of vampire. "I can't wait for your baby to be born so there's another boy for me to play with. The girls want to make the bampires all sparkly and stuff. That's like making Goldiemort wear a pink tutu when he's trying to kill Harry Potter."

"Okay, we're out of here." Emmett looked at his eldest niece. "Sunny, keep an eye out on your brother and help keep him inline so poor, old Aunt B doesn't have to waddle after him. I'll give your grandfather your letters and cards, and yes, I'll remind your parents to bring you back something cool. Audrey, behave and go to bed when you're told, got it, kiddo?"

One more round of hugs was exchanged before Emmett and Rosalie finally left. I knew this trip was bittersweet for them, and frankly, I would have loved to have been there to watch them bury the wicked witch of the South.

Mama Hale had died earlier in the week—very painfully and very much alone for most of her last days. Pancreatic cancer had reduced her to a wizzled old crab, and it was only out of some sort of divine compassion that Donald Hale had been there when she took her last painful breath. How he could do that, I couldn't understand, especially since he knew how her behaviour had impacted their children. He told Rosie on the phone the other night that he wanted to be there to be sure she was dead and that it was over.

I think that deep down he still loved her in some strange way and didn't want her to be alone when she shuffled off this mortal coil.

The girls all chased after them as they left, but River stayed behind. He looked kind of sad, so I suggested we go sit out on the porch swing, just the two of us, for a cuddle. Edward said he'd corral the girls out back and inspect the fort.

We sat quietly for a bit before River began rubbing my belly again. "Aunt B?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Was my Nana Hale really a debil bitch from hell?"

I choked on my shock at his statement. "Where did you hear that?"

"Mama said it the other day. She was mad that Daddy wanted to go to the funeral for the debil bitch from hell after all she had done to them. What did Nana do? Was she really a monster?"

My fingers ran through his unruly hair as I tried to come up with a way to explain things. "Well, sweetheart, your Nana Hale was a mean lady who never understood love because I don't think she ever had it when she was a little girl. She was happiest when other people were unhappy. She was a terribly miserable woman, though, and she didn't give very much love to your daddy or your Aunt Ro. She was mean to them, so you can understand why people would say mean things about her. I'm not saying it's right to call people names, but..."

The sweet little boy in my lap sighed. "I feel sad for her, Aunt B. How can she give love when she didn't have any to give?"

Seven years old and already a philosopher. I tried to find an appropriate answer, but he kept going.

"I think that when you're little, you get a lot of love, like from your mommy and daddy and aunts and uncles, but because you're so little there's no way you can use it all and you don't know what to do with it, so you save it up. It's the extra saved up little kid love that you use when you are a grown up, so I guess it makes sense that if she didn't have anything in her love bank, that she wouldn't have anything to give when she was a grown up. I feel..."

"You feel what?"

Big blue eyes looked up at me, one lone tear building up and falling slowly down his cheek. "I feel sad for her."

"Why, sweetie?"

"Because it must have been very lonely to live without love. Can I have a hug?"

I smiled down at the wise little angel looking up at me. "Of course, sweetie, we need to put some more love into your love bank, don't we?"

He sat up and tried his best to get comfortable around my belly. We rocked and I sang until he had fallen asleep. While Sunny was outgoing and hyper, like her mother; River was Jasper's son through and through. He was insightful, empathetic and calm, but for the most part he was still very much an inquisitive, excitable, seven year old boy.

River also worshipped his cousin Jaden, and Jaden was very good with the little guy. Since they were the only boys in a sea of girls, they bonded and spent a lot of time together, until Jaden moved out into his first apartment with Lily about a month ago.

We were all feeling the loss of not having him around all the time, but he visited often, with his fiancée in tow. There were wedding plans to make and this house had become wedding central.

Funny how Emmett and Rosie's house had become a second home to all of us. Even though we all lived nearby, we often crashed here, or the kids crashed here, and all group babysitting was done here. I guess it's because it's the most kid-friendly house in the bunch, what with the pool and the jungle gym.

A swift kick to my insides made me jump a little. I rubbed my hand on my belly and sang quietly to the little boy inside. We had given up on having a child biologically. We had Violet in our lives and we were happy being a family of three, but much to our utter surprise and delight, I got pregnant not long after we brought her home from China. I miscarried at twelve weeks and was devastated. I miscarried two more times in the coming years and was too heartbroken to try again; I couldn't handle the build-up to the breakdown. After the third time my body rejected the baby at twenty-five weeks, I fell into a terrible depression that only my husband and daughter were able to bring me out of. Her persistence and Edward's support helped get me to a therapist, one who deals with women mourning miscarriages and stillbirths, and within the year I was feeling better able to deal with it.

When I found out I was pregnant this time, I was afraid to be happy. Every week that passed only meant that I was one week closer to heartache. The doctors classified it as a high-risk pregnancy and were keeping almost constant tabs on me. It was at the five month mark that I finally allowed myself to be hopeful, to rejoice in the changes in my body and not curse them, to revel in feeling him fluttering around.

Everything was going well; he was healthy, looked good, and seemed strong. I was living in the moment instead of in fear of the future, and by choosing to live this way, I was enjoying my pregnancy and every cherished moment I had with him so that even if something did go wrong, I would have these happy memories. I had also read that a mother's mood and attitude can transfer to the baby—by means of hormones—so I only wanted him to have the very best.

"Bella?" Edward whispered from beside me. "Are you awake?"

I opened my eyes and smiled at my incredibly beautiful husband, whose unruly hair was blazing in the waning sunlight. "Yes. We're just having a quiet moment. How are the girls?"

"They've tired of their vampire game and are watching a movie down in the mancave. Jaden called and said that he and Lily were going to pop over with pizza for supper. They'll be here any minute." He smiled as he looked down at River, who was still asleep with his head on my bump. "Want me to carry him in?"

I shook my head. "He'll wake up the second he hears Jaden's car pull in. You know how much he misses him."

"Mind if I join you?" he asked quietly, eyeing the empty spot to my right.

"Please do."

Edward sat beside me and before he even had a chance to settle down, his hand was on my belly, rubbing gently and smiling. Seeing him so happy really did something to me, and his joy was contagious. Although Edward was profoundly devastated with each failed pregnancy, his outlook was always bright; the fatalistic Edward of the past was long gone. Although I loved broody Edward, I truly and honestly adored my ray of sunshine. Violet had really changed him, opened him up further, allowed him to let go of the pain of losing Emma so he could focus on our new daughter.

Of course Emma was never far from our thoughts. She would always be our sweet little angel, and we still commemorated her birthday and our wedding anniversary each year by releasing purple balloons and telling Violet about her older sister. And every spring, Violet and Edward planted a sunflower garden to remind us of the loved ones we hadn't just lost, but who we love even as we miss them so much.

A honk alerted us to Jaden and Lily's arrival. River's head popped up and turned in several directions, confused. Finally he spotted Jaden and took off. "Jaden!"

The now six-foot tall Jaden set the pizzas down on the top step to bend over and scoop up his favourite cousin. "Hey, kiddo! How you doing?"

River's arms went around Jaden's neck and he squeezed. "I missed you, Jay."

Lily grabbed the pizza boxes as she made her way over. Her walking had improved so much that you could hardly tell that she had ever had a devastating brain injury. "H...hi Bella, Edwaaard. H...hope y...y...you're hungry. We b...brought lllllots."

Edward got up and took the boxes. "Thanks, Lily. I'll go get the girls set up with supper. Come on, River; let's get you some food before those crazy girls eat it all before you. The rest of you come on in when you're ready."

She sat down beside me and looked at my belly, then at me, silently asking if she could touch. I nodded and braced myself for more cold hands, but they were surprisingly warm. "How're things going, Lil?"

"Mmmom ssssent a cheque. Daaaad's pissed," she replied, not looking away from my belly.

Lily's Mom had run out on them when Lily was a baby, her only remaining presence in their lives were the cheques she sent for birthdays and graduation. She had sent a sizeable amount when Lily started university to help with tuition and dorm fees, and had Lily not intercepted the envelope, Peter would have sent it back. She pleaded with him often to see the logic and usefulness of this extra money, regardless of where it came from. And then she asked if she could meet her mother just once.

I went with her that day. Peter really couldn't bear seeing Lily's disappointment if her mother showed her true colours and Lily didn't want to go alone. I was both terrified and honoured when she asked me to go with her, surprised that she hadn't asked Jaden or even Rose to go, but she said that she felt the most comfortable having me there. So we went and met her for lunch, and I have to say that she was a very lovely woman. She answered Lily honestly when she asked why she left them, and I could see that Lily was satisfied with the answer.

"Www...why do y...you send m...m...money?"

Jane smiled warmly. "I wanted to make sure that your father had enough to get you what you needed or wanted. It's the least I could do. Even though I haven't raised you, you are still my daughter and it's my responsibility to make sure you are provided for. I knew your dad wouldn't take monthly payments from me, but he'd allow for birthday gifts. And, believe it or not, I set up a college fund when you were born. I've had money going into that account every single paycheque. I may not be able to provide you with the love and compassion that your father can, but I can make sure that you can go to school and don't have to work to make ends meet like we did."

Lily thought it over and nodded in agreement. "Th...thank y...you f...for letting m...me live wi...with Dad."

Again, Jane smiled warmly as she pushed a piece of blonde hair behind her daughter's ear. "I knew he would be very good to you. He was always so wonderful to me, even when I didn't deserve it. He raised you well, darling. I am so very happy with how you turned out.

"I realize you don't want a regular mother/daughter relationship with me, and frankly, I think we're beyond that at this point, but what I would like is for you to feel free to call me to go for coffee if you ever want to talk. I don't deserve your friendship, but I'd love a chance to get to know you."

That meeting began a monthly ritual of the two of them meeting up for coffee or dinner. They weren't ever going to have a typical relationship, but it was great for Lily to have another strong female role model in her life.

"How's your dad doing, Lil? We haven't seen him in ages."

Lily giggled as she looked at me. "H...he's in l...l...loooove."

"I take it things are going well between him and Amanda, then?"

She nodded, giggling again. "Reaaaal, good. Jay and I f...f...found them...um...they were...th...they were d...doing it on the k...k...kitchen floor."

"WHAT!" I shouted. "Oh dear lord, Lily, you must have wanted to burn your eyes out."

Jaden walked over and sat on the swing with us, River no longer clinging to him. "Hey, Aunt B, I take it Lily told you about finding Peter and Amanda on the kitchen floor?"

"Well, at least he's found someone. It's about time," I said, grinning. Rose, Alice and I had plotted to get those two together. Rose still saw Amanda from time to time when she was struggling with things, and she had sort of become more of a friend to her than a therapist. So, when her last boyfriend had cheated on her and she was about to swear off men forever, we introduced her to Peter and they hit it off like gangbusters. Lily was pretty sure that her father would get married shortly after her wedding to Jaden in a couple of months.

As for the two of them being caught on the kitchen floor, well, Peter better hope Emmett doesn't catch wind of it because he will tease him into celibacy again.

"How's school going? You think this semester is going to be a good one?"

"We've both got pretty heavy loads, so I don't think we'll be around much," Jaden said, sighing. "Please promise you'll bring the little guy over for visits so we don't study ourselves into zombie-like states. Oh, and food. You can always bring food."

Lily sighed dramatically. "He's aaaaaa...aaaa bbbbbbottomless pit. It'sss haaard to keep gro...gro...groceries in the hhhhouse."

I laughed as I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. "You'll get used to it, sweetie. All of these men are the same. I'll remind the girls of that so you two don't go hungry. So, why are you guys overloading this semester?"

Jaden squeezed in beside Lily, placing a kiss atop her blonde hair. "We want to get the majority of our coursework done this semester so we have more time to focus on the wedding stuff next semester. I'm also thinking of getting a job."

Edward walked out at that moment. "A job? Are you sure you have time for that? If it's money..."

"I don't want any handouts, Uncle E, besides, it's school related—one of my professors is going to hook me up with a job playing piano at a classy bar. He said he'd give me extra credit, on top of the hourly wage and tips I'd be getting. I figure with a few months of that before the wedding, I can at least pay for my tux or the honeymoon."

"Have you talked it over with your dad?" I asked.

"Not yet, Aunt B, it's not a done deal yet. I don't think he'll say no, though. I mean, hell, I'm 19 now, so he can't really stop me. As long as I don't consume any alcohol while I work, it's perfectly legal, not to mention this is pretty much a school-sanctioned thing. Every year this professor picks a student for this job, so it's kind of a big deal."

A horrible wailing noise came from inside the house. Jaden jumped up before anyone else could react. "That's River. I'll get him."

I sighed before trying to get up. Edward immediately ran over to help. "Here, baby, take my hands."

With a big tug, I was on my feet and we were on our way into the house to see what was going on.

* * *

_**Edward**_

I was not expecting to find Jaden trying to wash pizza out of River's hair when we entered the kitchen. "What happened?"

River turned his head and I saw his bottom lip quivering and big tears spilling down his cheeks. "Sunny..."

He was cut off by a very angry older sister who yelled from the table. "TATTLETALE! You wanna know why we don't like playing with you, River? You're a big, fat, tattletale. Uncle E, I..."

"Sunny, do you expect me to believe that River put pizza on his own head?"

Her cheeks flamed under my scrutiny. "No, but..."

"But what?"

In true Alice form, her defence was made very loudly and very quickly. "He was being a pest, Uncle E; he was making boy noises and flying his pizza around like a plane. I told him to stop, and he didn't. I was only trying to stop him, but he started with the airplane thing again and I hit him by accident."

"No she didn't, Uncle E," River protested, "she was being mean. I don't like her. I don't want her to be my sister—she makes me sad."

God, this was going to be a long weekend. "Okay, here's the deal. Sunny, I realize you think it was an accident, but you had your hand up to _stop_ him, so it was premeditated to some extent. For that, I'm giving you dish duty tonight, and I want you to lay off your brother. River, buddy, you can't play with your food like that, got it?"

"Yes, Uncle E," they chorused sarcastically.

"Is everyone finished eating?" I asked, taking note of a very hungry looking Bella. "If not, can someone make some room for Aunt B? She looks like she could eat a niece or nephew...or two."

The kids all laughed, even River, and suddenly the heavy mood was lifted. The girls made room for Bella and Lily to join them while we men sat at the breakfast bar. River was in much better spirits now that there was no longer any pepperoni in his hair.

After Sunny begrudgingly did the dishes, the girls all dragged Bella and Lily up to Audrey's room for makeovers, while we boys went out back and played laser tag until it was time for River to go to bed. I decided to give him a bath because the poor kid was filthy, but Jaden stepped in and offered to do it. He knew where all his good bath toys were stashed, so I didn't complain. Secretly, I think Jaden just wanted to play with his old toys.

Bella and Lily looked like two-dollar hookers by the time the girls had finished with their makeovers. It was hard not to laugh at them as they did the walk of shame. Bella rolled her eyes and mouthed at me to behave when she reached me. Well, that just about did me in. "Wow, Bella, you're...wow..."

I felt a tug on my shirt. "Daddy, doesn't she look beeeyoootiful?"

I gave Violet a hug. "Yes, xin ai, she's always beautiful and you girls just enhanced it."

"Why does Aunt B and Lily look like clowns?" River asked from the hall.

Audrey, whose maturity level was more sophisticated than her cousin of the same age, shook her head and muttered "boys" as she did so. "You wouldn't understand, River, because you're a boy. Now go play trucks or something."

Jaden laughed as he entered the room. "You girls should go easier on River." He turned to Lily and gave her a kiss. "Mmm, strawberry."

Poor little River stomped off toward Jaden's old room and slammed the door. I figured I should go and have a chat with him. I found him curled up in the big egg chair, his favourite blanket pulled up over his head.

"River, buddy, you okay?" I asked, approaching him. "Want to talk?"

The blanket moved a little before I heard a sad sigh come out from underneath. "It's not fair, Uncle E."

"I know, kiddo. It's hard being the only boy in the crowd."

His little blond head popped out from under the blanket. "It's not just that. I'm the same age as Audrey and the big kids don't talk to her like she's a baby. Why can't they treat me like a big kid too?"

"Well, River, I'm going to tell you something that will come in handy for many years to come. Boys and girls are different—"

"I know about baginas and penises, Uncle E, and how girls have innies and boys have outies and we're not supposed to look at them or touch them until we are grownups because if we do babies will pop out."

WHA...? Where the hell was this kid getting his facts? "I don't mean biologically, River, I mean, girls tend to grow up a little faster than boys, they _mature_, which means they start liking older person stuff before boys do."

"I want to mature too! It's not fair. I never have anyone to play with."

Jaden joined us at this point. "River, being a boy is soooo much better. We get to play with our toys a lot longer than girls do. They play with make up and do their hair and stuff, which really doesn't seem fun to me, but we get to play first with dinky cars and Lego and stuff. Then we get to play with stuff with motors, like RC cars and planes, then there's video games, and when we have kids, we get to do it all over again while the girls don't! Being a boy rocks. Every time they treat you like a little kid, just remember that sometimes being a boy and being a kid isn't so bad. They don't know what they're missing."

My god, Jaden was a wise one. I smiled at him, thankful that he'd stepped in because I don't think I could have put it any better than he did.

River got out of his chair and hugged Jaden. "Thanks, Jaden. I feel a lot better now."

"Yes, Jaden, thank you. I feel a lot better too."

"Can I come stay with you tonight, Jaden?" River asked quietly.

"What? And leave poor Uncle E here all alone with all these girls? Who will defend him when they try to give him a makeover?"

The little boy giggled as Jaden picked him up. "You should probably stay here, since this is where your mom and dad think you are. Maybe you can come over next weekend for a sleepover. Would you like that?"

"Yes, please!"

"Awesome. Well, I have to go. Lily is getting together with Sam and Gabriel to work on something for the wedding. We're already running late."

We said our goodbyes and I managed to get River in bed with the promise of half an hour of playing on his handheld game before heading over to herd Audrey into doing the same. Luckily Bella had thought to slowly get the girls to wind down, even the older girls, and I found the four of them curled up on Audrey's bed watching some Disney channel boy band concert.

Making my way downstairs, I thought about how adding another boy to our family would change things and I wondered if he'd be a mama's boy or daddy's boy? Since Violet had been a complete and utter daddy's girl until she discovered makeup, I thought maybe it would be an even trade off when he comes. Bella could nurture Violet and her new-found girlie nature and I could hang out with my little guy.

My little guy. God, the next couple of months were going to drag on endlessly. I couldn't wait to hold him, to see him, to fall in love with him the moment I laid my eyes on him. I couldn't wait to watch him bond with his mother, to watch him staring at her with blind newborn eyes as he suckled for the first time.

I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, I just want him to come out healthy and for Bella to get through this with no problems. To lose another child, at this late stage, would kill her.

It was almost ten o'clock when Bella finally emerged from Audrey's room.

"Are they all asleep?" I asked, pulling her toward me to sit in my lap. "Do we actually have some peace and quiet now? No more arguing? No more picking on River? No more washing marinara sauce out of anyone's hair?"

"All out like a light. Actually, they fell asleep a while ago and I might have dozed off myself." Bella blushed at her admission before nuzzling into the crook of my neck. "Sorry about that."

I pushed her hair aside so I could place a kiss on her forehead. "Don't apologize for getting some sleep, love, for all too soon, we'll both be sleep deprived parents of a newborn. I won't begrudge you a nap—ever."

"I love you, Edward; you're too nice to me."

Moving my head down lower, I took her top lip between mine and began to kiss her slowly, lovingly, so she'd know without words the extent of my admiration and devotion. Of course, the kiss began to escalate into something much more.

Four whispered words undid me, and it didn't matter where we were or whose house it was. Four whispered words set my brain and my cock on autopilot.

"I need you, Edward."

* * *

_**Violet**_

I was having the best dream when Audrey kicked me.

"Ow, Auddey, why'd you do that? I'm sleeping."

"Did you hear something?" she whispered as she snuggled in closer. "I heard something."

Sunny grunted on the other side and mumbled something about vampires, which automatically set Auddey into a fit. I knew we shouldn't play vampire with her—she's too young. Now we'll never get any sleep.

I looked at the glowing alarm clock on her nightstand and sighed. It was only 10:30. We had only been asleep for about an hour. It was going to be a long, long night.

"Vi, I'm scared. Can you go get your mom and dad to see what's going on?"

Sunny grunted again. "Auddey, chill out, okay? You promised not to get freaked out by playing vampires and what are you doing?"

It was hard not to laugh at her quiet reply. "I'm freaking out over the vampires. But, Sunny—"

A hand shot up from under her sleeping bag as Sunny mocked Auddey by pretending her hand was a puppet. "Yak, yak, yak, Auddey. Come on, me and Vi won't play big girl games with you anymore if you're going to act like this."

The room got quiet for a minute until I heard Auddey sniffling in her sleeping bag. As much as I love Sunny, sometimes she can be such a witch to Auddey. It's not her fault she's younger than we are. It's the same with her baby brother, River. She's kind of witchy to him too and he doesn't deserve it at all. I like River, he's more like me; quiet and artistic. Sunny and Audrey are the wild ones, and there are days when I'm glad that even though there are a few years between them, that they get along as well as they do. I know that Sunny gets annoyed with me when I spend a lot of time with Daddy working on my music, but it's hard sometimes to find time to play with my friends and do what I really love, and that's playing my cello.

People laughed when I chose the cello because I'm kind of small and it's kind of big, not to mention the whole stupid stereotype about Asian kids being good at playing string instruments, but I LOVE the sound it makes—it's so deep and full and I remember the first time Daddy took me to the symphony so I could see what instrument I wanted to learn and I knew the first moment I heard the bow pulled across the strings that the cello was it for me. It spoke to me more than the other ones. River likes to come over and listen to me play while he colours, and sometimes I'll let him put his ear to the shiny wood body while I play so he can feel it deep inside. He says I paint stories with it.

Auddey's whimpering and sniffling was getting louder, so I crawled out of bed and knelt beside her. "Auddey, I'm going to go see my mom and dad. Stay tight and I'll be right back."

"But...but what if there's a vampire out there?" she whispered.

I got closer to her face and gave her my best serious look. "Then I'll look it in the eye and stomp on its foot and swear at it in Chinese. Vampires hate Chinese swear words."

I had no idea why I said that, but it worked. I managed to get a giggle out of her, and that was good enough for me. I slipped on my fuzzy slippers and pulled on my matching robe and walked quietly out of her room, making sure to close the door so Auddey wouldn't freak out anymore.

The hall was quiet so I thought that Mom and Dad must have gone to bed. I tiptoed down to Uncle Emmett and Aunt Ro's bedroom and pushed the door open a bit. "Mama? Daddy? Auddey's freaking out."

Nothing. I tried again. "Mama? Daddy?"

Silence. Hmm. I pushed the door open further and saw that the bed was empty. They must still be downstairs. They must be making the noise. Phew, at least I had something I could tell Auddey that would make sense.

"Auddey, they aren't in bed. They must be downstairs and they must be the ones making the noises."

"Can we please go make sure it's them?" she asked quietly. "I'll sleep a lot better if I know it's just them."

"Since we're going down," Sunny mumbled as she poked her head out of her sparkly purple sleeping bag, "we might as well get a snack. I'm hungry."

We made our way to the hallway where we were stopped by a sleepy River who stood in the doorway to Jaden's old room rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

Auddey tiptoed over to him. "We heard a noise..."

"YOU heard a noise, Auddey, we were happily asleep," Sunny interrupted.

A sound coming from downstairs stopped us all in our tracks. It sounded like a groan.

"It sounds like a zombie!" River quickly hid behind his sister, who for once, decided to act like a big sister. "They walk around and say ooooooh, and ohhhhhhh, and mmmmmmm. We should tell Aunt B and Uncle Edward."

I looked over at him and frowned. "Mom and Dad are downstairs."

Tears started running down his cheeks. "What if the zombies got them? What if they're zombies now? Oh no! Poor Aunt B and what about the baby? Will the baby be born a zombie? What if the bampires come? Oh no! We need to save them."

Before anyone could stop him, River ran charging down the stairs. We followed quickly behind him because if in the off chance that my parents were now zombies, they might try to eat him.

River stood frozen in the kitchen door, his mouth wide open as he pointed at something.

Sunny squeaked and I...I...oh my god...are they...what is Dad doing to Mom over the table? Why aren't they wearing pants...oh...wait...

"Why is Uncle Edward bumping his penis into Aunt B's bum?" Audrey asked quietly.

River looked down at his pants and then back at my parents. He was too young to understand, but I wasn't. I figured out what was going on before anyone else did and I wanted to burn my eyeballs out of my head. Sunny wasn't long in figuring it out, either, and I saw her cover her mouth.

"We need to get the kids upstairs, now!" I whisper-shouted to Auddey.

Before I could stop him, River stepped closer and cleared his throat. "Aunt B, Uncle Edward? What are you doing? What happened to your pants?"

Mom and Dad screamed before jumping away from us. Mom pulled the tablecloth off the table to cover them, thank god, because no one wanted to see their private parts. We had all seen too much already.

"Kids! Um, can you go upstairs and we'll be right up," Dad said as he tried to stay covered, "to um, explain this?"

I pushed the kids toward the stairs. "No, it's okay, we don't need to know..."

"I wanna know. What happened to the zombies?" River said, poking his head around me.

Mom laughed. "Zombies? Do I even want to know?"

"So, kids, you saw us in...we were...there was..."

I sat and watched as Dad tried to explain something very awkward to kids who really didn't understand it anyway. I wanted to tell him to just make something up because River and Auddey would believe pretty much anything and Sunny and me were old enough to know.

River was curled around Mom's belly, his head resting on it so he could feel my baby brother moving around. "We thought you were zombies."

"Why, sweetheart?" Mom asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Because you were making zombie noises; you were saying wooooo and oooooh and ohhhhhhh and mmmmmmm."

I don't know what was funnier, listening to River making "zombie" noises or watching Mom and Dad turning red from embarrassment. After a while I felt bad, so I told River to stop and I decided it was time for me to save my parents.

"River, Auddey, my mom and dad were downstairs doing grown up things and even though they should have done it in a private place because it's a private thing, sometimes grownups make mistakes. It's nothing to worry about and some day you'll understand."

He pouted. "Aw man, I was kinda hoping they were zombies."

Yeah, me too.

* * *

******There is one more futuretake I'd like to do when I am inspired to get it out. A lot of people wanted to read about Jaden and Lily's wedding, and I want to write it. I just need to get my head back in the game.**

**Happy New Year everyone.**


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